Starter quiz
- Hobbes' thought experiment was to imagine a world where there were no governments or ...
- 'laws' ✓
- Hobbes asked his readers to conduct a thought experiment in ...
- 'Leviathan' ✓
- Hobbes believed that if they lived in a state of nature people would think only about ...
- each other
- their surroundings
- themselves ✓
-
- Hobbes believed that unlimited freedom leads to ...
- 'chaos' ✓
- A __________ is an arrangement between two or more people or groups, where each promises to do something for the other.
- social contract ✓
- thought experiment
- state of nature
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- Hobbes believed that ______ should have absolute authority.
- 'sovereigns' ✓
Exit quiz
- According to Rousseau, humans are naturally ...
- good ✓
- warlike
- equal ✓
- unequal
- peaceful ✓
-
- Rousseau argued that ______ corrupts humans.
- 'civilisation' ✓
- Complete the quotation: 'Man is born free, and everywhere he is in __________.’
- civilisation
- chains ✓
- inequality
- desperation
-
- Rousseau was unlike other Enlightenment thinkers because he emphasised ...
- emotion ✓
- reason
- religion
- natural goodness ✓
- superstition
-
- Rousseau proposed the idea of a 'civil __________.'
- religion ✓
- contract
- thought experiment
- reason
-
- ______ questioning can be used to explore Rousseau’s view on the state of nature.
- 'Socratic' ✓
Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau was an Enlightenment philosopher.
- Many believed his views to be radical.
- Rousseau's core belief was that humans are mostly good and it is society that corrupts them.
- He argued that humans were more civilised in their natural state than in civilisations.
- Rousseau believed in God and the afterlife but was Protestant and Catholic at different points in his life.
Common misconception
Like Hobbes, Rousseau saw the 'state of nature' as meaning without society, humans live in fear and conflict.
Rousseau's view contrasts directly with Hobbes', he described the state of nature as a time when humans were free, equal, and lived harmoniously, not chaotic or lawless.
Keywords
Civilisation - a society with organised communities, rules, and developed ways of living
Civil religion - Rousseau's idea of a set of shared beliefs that unite people, without specific religious practices
Jean-jacques rousseau - a Swiss philosopher (1712–1778) known for his political philosophy
Socratic questioning - a teaching style attributed to Socrates which involves asking questions
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