Rousseau,Amour Propre, and Intellectual Celebrity

Abstract

With the publication of the First Discourse, Rousseau initiated a famous debate over the social value of the arts and sciences. As this debate developed, however, it transformed into a question of the value of the intellectuals as a social class and touched upon questions of identity formation. While the philosophes were lobbying to become a new cultural aristocracy, Rousseau believed the ideological glorification of intellectual talent demeaned the peasants and working classes. This essay argues that amour propre, as put forth in the Second Discourse, was in part designed to address this concern and is an attempt to highlight the dangers of making talent the measure of a human.

Positive Psychology: Looking Back and Looking Forward

“…Although Rousseau’s books were best sellers in his era, they are rarely invoked in current discourse. He castigated the Enlightenment philosophes for their self-love and self-interest, writing that amour propre ( McLendon, 2009 ) was a dangerous craving to secure recognition for self over others and an insatiable ambition to raise personal fortunes. These observations need serious examination vis-à-vis the thriving business of PP – to what extent are self-interest and personal ambition the central motives behind what is being sold?…”

D’Holbach on (Dis-)Esteeming Talent

“…Rousseau's challenge triggered a storm of outrage in his own time, and the responses of the most influential philosophes-Voltaire, d'Alembert, and Diderot-have been intensively studied (Mervaud 1991;Hulliung 1994;Garrard 2003; O'Dea 2010). However, it seems fair to say that these thinkers defended an elevated social standing of intellectuals, or at best took a condescending attitude toward ordinary people (for detailed textual documentation, see Locke McLendon 2009). Since their portrayals of the role of intellectuals exemplify the very problems Rousseau diagnosed, it might make sense to look for other, potentially more persuasive responses to Rousseau's challenge.…”