Dreaming of justice, waking to wisdom : Rousseau's philosophic life / Laurence D. Cooper.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cooper, Laurence D., 1962- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, 1712-1778. Rêveries du promeneur solitaire.

Philosophy.

Philosophy in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (272 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Chicago, Illinois ; London, England : The University of Chicago Press, [2023]

Summary:

A surprising look at how Rousseau defended the philosophic life as the most natural and best of lives. Dreaming of Justice, Waking to Wisdom reveals what could be thought of as the capstone of Rousseau’s thought, even if that capstone has been nearly invisible to readers. Despite criticizing philosophy for its corrosive effects on both natural goodness and civic virtue, Rousseau, argues Laurence D. Cooper, held the philosophic life as an ideal. Cooper expertly unpacks Rousseau’s vivid depiction of the philosophic life and the case for that life as the most natural, the freest, or, in short, the best or most choice-worthy of lives. Cooper focuses especially on a single feature, arguably the defining feature of the philosophic life: the overcoming of the ordinary moral consciousness in favor of the cognitivist view of morality. Cooper shows that Rousseau, with his particular understanding and embrace of the philosophic life, proves to be a kind of latter-day Socratic. Thorough and thought-provoking, Dreaming of Justice, Waking to Wisdom provides vital insight into Rousseau.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Citations and Abbreviations

Preface

Introduction: After the Cave

Part I

Chapter 1 The Life of Philosophy and the Life of Rousseau

Chapter 2 The Reveries of the Solitary Walker: An Introduction

Part II

Chapter 3 “What Am I?” First Walk

Chapter 4 “A Faithful Record” Second Walk

Chapter 5 Becoming a Philosopher: Third Walk

Chapter 6 Being a Philosopher: Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Walks

Chapter 7 Becoming a More Perfect Philosopher: Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Walks

Coda. The Love of Wisdom and the Wisdom of Love: Tenth Walk

Acknowledgments

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-226-82500-0

OCLC:

1356576093