On the happiness of the philosophic life : reflections on Rousseau's Rêveries in two books

Trans. by Robert Berman On the Happiness of the Philosophic Life presents Heinrich Meier’s confrontation with Rousseau’s Rêveries, the philosopher’s most beautiful and daring work, as well as his last and least understood. Bringing to bear more than thirty years of study of Rousseau, Meier unfolds his stunningly original interpretation in two parts. The first part of On the Happiness of the Philosophic Life approaches the Rêveries not as another autobiographical text in the tradition of the Confessions and the Dialogues, but as a reflection on the philosophic life and the distinctive happiness it provides. The second turns to a detailed analysis of a work referred to in the Rêveries, the “Profession of Faith of the Savoyard Vicar,” which triggered Rousseau’s political persecution when it was originally published as part of Émile. In his examination of this most controversial of Rousseau’s writings, which aims to lay the foundations for a successful nonphilosophic life, Meier brings to light the differences between natural religion as expressed by the Vicar and Rousseau’s natural theology. Together, the two reciprocally illuminating parts of this study provide an indispensable guide to Rousseau and to the understanding of the nature of the philosophic life. “[A] dense but precise and enthralling analysis.”— New Yorker __On the Happiness of the Philosophic Life__ presents Heinrich Meier’s confrontation with Rousseau’s __Rêveries,__ the philosopher’s most beautiful and daring work, as well as his last and least understood. Bringing to bear more than thirty years of study of Rousseau, Meier unfolds his stunningly original interpretation in two parts. The first part of __On the Happiness of the Philosophic Life__ approaches the __Rêveries__ not as another autobiographical text in the tradition of the __Confessions__ and the __Dialogues,__ but as a reflection on the philosophic life and the distinctive happiness it provides. The second turns to a detailed analysis of a work referred to in the __Rêveries,__ the “Profession of Faith of the Savoyard Vicar,” which triggered Rousseau’s political persecution when it was originally published as part of __Émile.__ In his examination of this most controversial of Rousseau’s writings, which aims to lay the foundations for a successful nonphilosophic life, Meier brings to light the differences between natural religion as expressed by the Vicar and Rousseau’s natural theology. Together, the two reciprocally illuminating parts of this study provide an indispensable guide to Rousseau and to the understanding of the nature of the philosophic life. “[A] dense but precise and enthralling analysis.”—__New Yorker__ On the Happiness of the Philosophic Life presents Heinrich Meier's confrontation with Rousseau's Rêveries, the philosopher's most beautiful and daring work, as well as his last and least understood. Bringing to bear more than thirty years of study of Rousseau, Meier unfolds his stunningly original interpretation in two parts. The first part of On the Happiness of the Philosophic Life approaches the Rêveries not as another autobiographical text in the tradition of the Confessions and the Dialogues, but as a reflection on the philosophic life and the distinctive happiness it provides. The second turns to a detailed analysis of a work referred to in the Rêveries, the "Profession of Faith of the Savoyard Vicar, " which triggered Rousseau's political persecution when it was originally published as part of Émile. In his examination of this most controversial of Rousseau's writings, which aims to lay the foundations for a successful nonphilosophic life, Meier brings to light the differences between natural religion as expressed by the Vicar and Rousseau's natural theology. Together, the two reciprocally illuminating parts of this study provide an indispensable guide to Rousseau and to the understanding of the nature of the philosophic life.-- Provided by publisher Contents 8 Preface 10 Preface to the American Edition 12 Note on Citations 14 Translator’s Note and Acknowledgments 16 First Book 20 I. The Philosopher among Nonphilosophers 22 II. Faith 65 III. Nature 92 IV. Beisichselbstsein 117 V. Politics 154 VI. Love 197 VII. Self-Knowledge 214 Second Book 240 Rousseau and the Profession of Faith of the Savoyard Vicar 242 Name Index 360 'On the Happiness of the Philosophic Life' presents Heinrich Meier's confrontation with Rousseau's 'Reveries', the philosopher's most beautiful and daring work, as well as his last and least understood