Page 154 - DPOL201_WESTERN_POLITICAL_THOUGHT_ENGLISH

Western Political Thought

Notes Rousseau was not Eurocentric in the same sense as Hegel, Marx, J.S. Mill and Montesquieu.
He certainly transcended the localism that characterized their philosophies. While he scored
on this front, he fell abysmally short in extending the conception of human equality to
include women. He was a powerful exponent of human equality, which, paradoxically, did
not include gender as a category. Had he perhaps overcome the prejudices of his time, he
could have become the first spokesperson of a true, universal paradigm of an ideal political
order.
8.14 Key-Words

1. Jacobianism : A radical republican during the French Revolution, a political group
advocating equalitarian democracy during the French Revolution.
2. Despotism : The exercise of absolute power especially in a cruel and oppressive way.
3. Paradoxical : Seeming absurd or self-contradictory.

8.15 Review Questions

1. Examine Rousseau’s critique of civil society
2. Discuss about the Rousseau’s Theory of General Will.
3. Write an essay on Rousseau’s life and his work.
4. Explain the views of Rousseau’s on social contract.

Answers: Self-Assessment
1. (iii) 2. (iii) 3. (ii) 4. (i)
8.16 Further Readings

1. Mukherjee, S. and Ramaswamy, S. 2004: A History of Political Thought, PHI
Learning Pvt. Ltd.
2. Mukhopadhyay, A.K. 1990 Western Political Thought, Calcutta - KP Bagchi and
Company.

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