Dreaming of justice, waking to wisdom : Rousseau's philosophic life

A surprising look at how Rousseau defended the philosophic life as the most natural and best of lives. Dreaming of Justice, Waking to Wisdom reveals what could be thought of as the capstone of Rousseau's thought, even if that capstone has been nearly invisible to readers. Despite criticizing philosophy for its corrosive effects on both natural goodness and civic virtue, Rousseau, argues Laurence D. Cooper, held the philosophic life as an ideal. Cooper expertly unpacks Rousseau's vivid depiction of the philosophic life and the case for that life as the most natural, the freest, or, in short, the best or most choice-worthy of lives. Cooper focuses especially on a single feature, arguably the defining feature of the philosophic life: the overcoming of the ordinary moral consciousness in favor of the cognitivist view of morality. Cooper shows that Rousseau, with his particular understanding and embrace of the philosophic life, proves to be a kind of latter-day Socratic. Thorough and thought-provoking, Dreaming of Justice, Waking to Wisdom provides vital insight into Rousseau.-- Provided by publisher Contents Citations and Abbreviations Preface Introduction: After the Cave Part I Chapter 1 The Life of Philosophy and the Life of Rousseau Chapter 2 The Reveries of the Solitary Walker: An Introduction Part II Chapter 3 “What Am I?” First Walk Chapter 4 “A Faithful Record” Second Walk Chapter 5 Becoming a Philosopher: Third Walk Chapter 6 Being a Philosopher: Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Walks Chapter 7 Becoming a More Perfect Philosopher: Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Walks Coda. The Love of Wisdom and the Wisdom of Love: Tenth Walk Acknowledgments Bibliography Index