Philosophic Anthropology in Rousseau and Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
- Author(s):
- Nelson Lund
- Posted:
- 10-2010
- Law & Economics #:
- 10-52
- Availability:
- Full text (most recent) on SSRN
ABSTRACT:
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the most durably influential critic of classic modern liberalism, maintained that the optimal conditions for human happiness existed only in a pre-political and pre-legal world. This essay, prepared for a festschrift honoring the philosopher and biologist Leon Kass, examines Rousseau's claim in light of new evidence provided by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, a contemporary anthropologist and naturalist. The essay argues that Marshall's findings, along with others provided by modern science, confirm and enrich the core elements of Rousseau's analysis.