Write a research paper outlining the question, “Do we only understand freedom in terms of other people’s dominance?”

Write a research paper outlining the question, “Do we only understand freedom in terms of other people’s dominance?”In his Second Discourse, Rousseau writes: “Politicians propound the same sophisms about the love of freedom that Philosophers propounded about the state of Nature; on the basis of the things they see, they judge of very different things which they have not seen, and they attribute to [humanity] a natural inclination to servitude because of the patience with which the [people] before their eyes bear theirs, not realizing that it is as true of freedom as it is of innocence and virtue that one appreciates their worth only as long as one enjoys them oneself, and loses the taste for them as soon as they are lost” (181).
As with the philosophers who have theorized about the state of nature with insufficient depth, Rousseau says that politicians mistakenly believe that most people are content with being ruled. Rather, Rousseau claims, we have forgotten – as we have left behind our life in the state of nature – what freedom really is. Do you agree or disagree with him?

Rousseau is not claiming that we can go back; we can never go back.
So, what do we mean when we talk about freedom? Think about this claim in terms of amour propre – that is, Rousseau’s idea for the psychological need to feel self-important and be regarded more highly than others. Debates regarding freedom today are often framed in terms of comparisons with others (other individuals or groups, other cultures, other political organizations). Can we only understand freedom in terms of others? Can we only feel free if someone else is less free? Do we only understand freedom in terms of the domination of other human beings?

Last Completed Projects