La Verne Professor to Publish Book on Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jason Neidleman began focusing on philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau after taking a course taught by professor Stanley Hoffmann on French political thought at Harvard University in the 1990s.
That is the subject of his new book The Sublime Science of Simple Souls, set to be published by Routledge in 2016.
Neidleman described Rousseau as a man born out of his time.
鈥淩ousseau was聽a 鈥榤odern with an ancient soul鈥� as he said of himself.聽 This gave him a uniquely insightful perspective on the problems that define modernity, and he continues to be among the best companions in working through the struggles that we face today,鈥� he said.
What makes Neidleman鈥檚 book unique is that it analyzes Rousseau鈥檚 philosophy related to truth and truthseeking. Rousseau, who is considered to be one of the most influential thinkers of Europe鈥檚 Enlightenment period, believed that human beings in their natural state have access to the truths that pertain to human happiness and that those truths have become obscured by the corruption that results from civilization.
Neidleman鈥檚 book presents Rousseau鈥檚 account of what humans should do to discover the truths to reclaim happiness.
A longtime member of the Rousseau Association – a society dedicated to the study of the philosopher – Neidleman got started on this project when he presented a paper on Rousseau鈥檚 Reveries of the Solitary Walker at a conference for the association.
Neidleman鈥檚 previous book was called The General Will is Citizenship, which evolved from his dissertation on Rousseau鈥檚 influence on French political thought in 18th and 19th centuries.
He also has plans for future writings: 鈥淚鈥檓 thinking about the relationship between public opinion and public policy, in particular the strategies that political elites use to bring public opinion into conformity with public policy,鈥� he said.
