Rousseau and the Idea of a 'Sick' Society

Using resources from the Second Discourse and the Discourse on Political Economy, this paper reconstructs various conceptions of social pathology implicit in Rousseau's work. It argues that good sense can be made of the idea of a social pathology without relying on unduly medical or organic conceptions of society. Special attention is devoted to explaining Rousseau's picture of a "feverish" society, as grounded in "inflamed" forms of amour-propre. Adapted from the source document.