C.V. by Matthew Mendham
book by Matthew Mendham
"...Hypocrisy and the Philosophical Intentions of Rousseau is a remarkable achievement. Mendham ... more "...Hypocrisy and the Philosophical Intentions of Rousseau is a remarkable achievement. Mendham does for Rousseau what Rousseau could not do for himself: he humanizes him. Mendham cuts through three autobiographies and personal letters that protest too much and provides a compelling portrait of an imperfect and wounded man trying, at least for a period of his life, to live up to moral ideals of which is is not capable.... [Mendham's] contribution to our understanding of the enigmatic Genevan is considerable. This book merits scholarly attention."
articles by Matthew Mendham
Political Science Reviewer
Of the two leading philosophical paradigms interpreting Rousseau’s corpus as a whole, only one de... more Of the two leading philosophical paradigms interpreting Rousseau’s corpus as a whole, only one defends him as a moralistic and constructive author. We offer the first comprehensive and critical introduction to this paradigm, which was first articulated by Ernst Cassirer, but extends far beyond Kantians. We question its firm distinction between a lofty normative philosophy and claims amounting to merely personal deviations. First, we find Rousseau’s theory of natural goodness to be in some ways subversive of his theories of virtue and community, especially regarding foresight, the status of politics, and the commitment to domestic virtue. Second, the autobiographies develop the idea of natural goodness in philosophically substantive ways, and in depicting Jean-Jacques as preeminent in goodness, this two-tiered system of judgment grounds a broad range of self-exculpation. Despite this paradigm’s illumination of what is most elevating in Rousseau, it has not done full justice to his philosophy as a whole.
Political Science Reviewer, 2019
Normally limiting himself to general principles, there was a unique ‘activist moment’ in Rousseau... more Normally limiting himself to general principles, there was a unique ‘activist moment’ in Rousseau’s career when he engaged in sustained criticisms of the Genevan regime (ca. July 1762–February 1765). This article provides the first comprehensive discussion of his civic behavior and self-understanding during this period. It counters the main narrative of the Confessions, as well as the leading recent scholarly account, which depict him as prioritizing civic peace. We emphasize a later quietist turn in his behavior and teaching (1766–1768). Finally, reconsidering his earlier political thought, we challenge the prevailing scholarly view that he definitively opposed revolution.
Although Rousseau's treatment of his children has provoked much controversy, sustained and schola... more Although Rousseau's treatment of his children has provoked much controversy, sustained and scholarly discussions are rare. This study is the first to present the evidence comprehensively and systematically. It engages each of Rousseau's contentions about his children in order to carefully discern the significance of this episode for his life and work. It offers an analytical table of each rationale-nineteen different ones, of five major types. It discusses documents of 1751 and 1778 which strongly defend the actions, the ambiguous arguments in the Second Part of the Confessions (1769-1770), the oscillations in the period surrounding the Confessions (1764-1770), and finally the development of unqualified remorse in the middle period of Emile (1757-1762). It concludes by advancing a middle position between those who ultimately see his behaviour and associated excuses as demonstrating his unchecked individualism and subjectivism, and those who ultimately absolve this episode in order to find him a moralist in good standing. 1 Abbreviations include section divisions, followed by the page number in an English translation, then in a French edition. The collected editions that are referenced are as follows: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Correspondance complète de Jean-Jacques Rousseau [hereafter CC], edited by R.
Rousseau seems to argue, on one hand, that moderns are luxurious, lazy, weak, and soft, in opposi... more Rousseau seems to argue, on one hand, that moderns are luxurious, lazy, weak, and soft, in opposition to primitive hardiness, vigor, ferocity, and rustic virtue. On the other hand, he depicts modern life as cruel, frenzied, competitive, and harsh, in opposition to primitive gentleness, idleness, abundance, and spontaneity. Is Rousseau, then, simply an imaginative ideologue, forwarding wildly opposed and oscillating characterizations of these eras, merely to be contrarian? This article attempts to demonstrate a degree of coherence in his analyses, by focusing on the various sociopolitical contexts he discusses, and the various moral characterizations and norms which apply to each of these contexts. Building upon a half-century of interpretations, it offers an innovative logical typology of Rousseau's social thought-in terms of social complexity, environmental resources, and normative foundation-which may explain many of his central paradoxes.
Rousseau has recently been situated within the Enlightenment debates over whether increasing comm... more Rousseau has recently been situated within the Enlightenment debates over whether increasing commerce would make people more gentle, peaceable and tolerant. This article attempts the first systematic analysis of Rousseau's works in view of this debate, and finds that his response is more complex than has previously been established. His primary aim was not to deny that cultural modernization decreases human harshness, but to show that this results more in a flabby 'softness' than an enlightened 'gentleness'. Nonetheless, he conceded that certain forms of gentleness may result from diversion, weakness and indifference, and that this may be the best cultural strategy for irrevocably corrupt modern states. Distinguishing these two aspects of his response to modernization allows us to forge a middle position between scholars who see Rousseau as overwhelmingly opposed to doux commerce, and more recent contentions that he should be seen as a fundamentally moderate thinker who pragmatically accommodates the conditions of modernity. those of Victor Gourevitch: The Discourses and Other Early Political Writings and The Social Contract and Other Later Political Writings (Cambridge, 1997; hereafter EPW and LPW, respectively) and those of Roger Masters and Christopher Kelly: The Collected Writings of Rousseau (12 vols., Hanover, NH, 1990 hereafter CW). The French edition is Oeuvres Complètes, ed. Bernard Gagnebin and Marcel Raymond (5 vols., Paris, 1959-95; hereafter OC). Selected writings of his interlocutors are available in CW and in Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Mémoire de la critique, ed. Raymond Trousson (Paris, 2000; hereafter Mémoire). For Rousseau's frequently cited individual works, Conf.
syllabi by Matthew Mendham
We must now examine…whether just people also live better and are happier than unjust ones. I thin... more We must now examine…whether just people also live better and are happier than unjust ones. I think it's clear already that this is so, but we must look into it further, since the argument concerns no ordinary topic, but the way we ought to live." -Plato, Republic, I, 352d
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C.V. by Matthew Mendham
book by Matthew Mendham
articles by Matthew Mendham
syllabi by Matthew Mendham