"Will Durant's Exploration of the Philosophy of Rousseau"

Embark on an intellectual journey through the life and ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, one of the most influential philosophers of the Enlightenment era, with the eminent historian, Will Durant, as your guide. In this enlightening video, Durant delves into Rousseau's philosophical works, his contributions to social and political thought, and his complex relationship with the Enlightenment.

[@patriciapalmer1377]

Rocky, the greatness of the 11 volumes and 40 years of the Durant's work might have fallen by the wayside were it not for you. I thank you. Pat

[@lucassmith4524]

While I feel the same way in many ways, I must say that the works of the Durant's do not need us nor the internet for continued inspiration throughout the years to come. Though having this work so accessible is appreciated, I first learned of the Durants and read them, when I came across a set of histories that belonged to my father,, the body of which were a bone of contention between my father and his father, who probably had more occasion to read them than my busy father.

[@boomerhgt]

Lucas Smith Your wrong the internet is a mind boggling source of human knowledge not all of us had classical book collection like your nerdy clan bubba

[@hawkarae]

Well said! I'm making my way through these great works gratefully 🙏

[@brucebaxter5782]

Durant is a great education and the one of the best writers. Incredible body of work!

[@irevelato]

You are doing a great service to all sensible humans around the world. I applaud your effort to bring Will Durant and philosophy in general to people. Thank you.

[@DurantandFriends]

I know you can't see my face, but I am smiling. Thank you.

[@schaurushiya]

Thank you for posting this Ricky. Durant's Story of civilization and Story of Philosophy are the most researched, least biased and honest account of world history and history of western thought. His lucid, concise and articulate writing style is superbly complemented by the voice and tempo of your audio book.

[@markmann2521]

These essays are just wonderful. Easy words, I ponder just how difficult it would have been to be the person of the subject. The very definition of humanity. MarkMannM2.

[@Kyushu314]

Is there anyone writing about history and culture as clear eyed and clear, thinking and evenhanded as will Durant today?

[@royerreasonist]

A thousand million THANKS Rocky C. !

[@rationalmuscle]

Thank you Rocky for posting all of these classics. So appreciated.

[@1shpendi]

Fun fact; I been devouring all these Will Durant audios all of them. And i think im a good listener because it takes me days to properly finish one where i find myself repeating interesting thoughts displayed with such delicious writing, its almost like a spiritual orgasm so i don’t mind at all how long it takes me to finish. My headphones on everywhere i go. Thank you so much for all these uploads.

[@brettjames9088]

Hey Rocky, I just wanted to let you know these are excellent, you are a good guy putting these up and it is truly appreciated.

[@aarona.7422]

As always Rocky C, thank you so much for all of the uploading. Pardon What may appear to be a mellow dramatic mood, but I really appreciate your work, it has made a lasting impact on my life. Aside from the obvious benefits that one receives from listening to these videos, they have also asisted me during road trips. And more significantly, during difficult times. Many thanks

[@scrumtoe]

Agreed! Thanks so much for sharing these gems with everyone! :)

[@SelfReflective]

Let me second this, I have also been greatly helped and comforted by these audios.

[@Oners82]

Aaron A. Melodramatic, not "mellow dramatic" lol.

[@papagabriola6494]

The greatest benefit of these recordings for me is in learning how we got to the hellish place we are at on earth. While all these philosophical treatises are good to hear, they ought to be nothing more than fortifying. Philosophy is not only for elites to question or espouse. Once these ideas are in the human consciousness they are there likely for hundreds of years. But they must all be questioned. Unfortunately the questioning is interminable and the answers are never written in stone.

[@danionthego]

What a wonderful reader! Thank You.

[@rafaeldelaflor]

One of my favorites this far since subscribing last year

[@DurantandFriends]

Thank you for leaving the comment and hope you come back often.

[@jamespotts8197]

Many thanks for introducing me to Durant and as well Durant's intensely detailed account of history's monumental figures. It's amazingly disappointing he's not as well known in modern culture, but yet maybe not, considering its values towards the infinite importance of world history or lack there of it.

[@FuckYouTube1776]

Durant is a masterful writer.

[@maxefex4479]

WOW, this is absolutely amazing I am completely fascinated and deeply grateful for this presentation. Had never heard of this iconic author and will from this day forward search out everything written by this unique genius.

[@patriciapalmer1377]

2 of them, Will and Ariel, 11 volumes, The History of Civilization, 40 years of work and he is the narrator, if I'm correct. Astoundingly well written and researched and I hope you will read all or part of them; your life will be enriched. Mine was. Godspeed. Pat

[@shannonm.townsend1232]

@@patriciapalmer1377narrator is not the author

[@augustinephilemonbaker2940]

This contribution has renewed my hope in Ideal History as the Queen of the Disciplines

[@patriciapalmer1377]

Poor Jean Jaques, his sexuality pales in comparison to the morays today, but damn his early escapades made me laugh.

[@markletts8802]

Same...

[@edisonhasso830]

Thank you Sir, this is great education, you do all great service, keep up the good work.

[@aarona.7422]

The day has arrived! No other philosopher has influenced me like that of the great Jean J. Rousseau. Thanks again

[@oldmanfromscenetwentyfour8164]

So, like Rousseau you enjoy a good spanking?

[@blackholesun9068]

Old Man from Scene Twenty Four lol... sounds like that was to your liking.🤣

[@d.c.8828]

@1:33:41 --My favourite Rousseau quote, and my favourite quote of all-time!

[@Cotonou1331]

I have been waiting for this one.

[@Arendaskyee]

I love the voice. There is something so calming about it

[@noahway13]

I fall asleep to it, and wake in the middle of night, and lay there, listening

[@natesmith3949]

Rousseau was the ultimate nice guy, and I mean that in the worst way possible.

[@myemailaccount3046]

hahahaha

[@blackholesun9068]

He had some twisted idea of self.

[@blahblahblahblah2837]

I have to agree. He seems to 'grow out of it' a little bit in his older years, but then sort of 'grows into it' in a new way. From being the guy who falls in love with every woman he has to spend more than 5 minutes with, to being a jerk to everyone and saying it's everyone else's faults, all the while not reaslising how much of an jerk he sounds like.

[@BaronM]

Thank you..

[@DawsonSWilliams]

Rousseau’s “Confessions” (as well as the “Reveries,” and the famous section on the Savoyard Vicar in “Emile”), supersede all of his political writings-which were poorly argued and even juvenile. Rousseau himself came to realize the genius of his work ultimately came from his romantic musings, not his political theories.

[@holyboldpodcast6097]

Can I ask - is this from "Rousseau and Revolution" or a different writing by Durant?

[@BiffWebster100]

Excellent!

[@jeviosoorishas181]

Rousseau is the forefather of postmodernism, all passion, no reason.

[@broquestwarsneeder7617]

you are so fucking cool, dude

[@Bobbleheads56]

Postmodernism is devoid of passion

[@dylangriffith4686]

Dude, thanks for all the videos! Love Durant, one of my favourite historians!

[@sjamo150]

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[@sjamo150]

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[@sjamo150]

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[@sjamo150]

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[@hardheadjarhead]

Love this, Rocky. Thanks. The narrator made a massive error in reading this, saying Rousseau wandered for “12 centuries”. It was 12 years (I just verified by looking at the text, as if I needed to). I love his narrative voice, though…it sounds so much like Grover Gardner (it isn’t), and the books are make for excellent audiobooks.

[@noahway13]

I was falling asleep and heard it, but I assumed I must have heard wrong.

[@shannonm.townsend1232]

I think its Leighton Pugh, who has done amazing readings of P.K. Dick.

[@roddydykes7053]

Yeah lol right off the bat too!

[@nvraman]

please forgive as this was very obvious, magnanimous was the voice and patient is the term when he read the book. May he be cheerful and happy in his life

[@ginatucker6721]

Many grateful thanks

[@Menapho]

Wonderful!!!

[@hillaryclinton1232]

Mister Really Cool Rocky C Info-master I just wanted to let you know these are excellent, you are a god putting these up and it is truly heavenly manna from the ~C~ Gods.

[@jac7895]

Rocky C is ma suga daddy 😍

[@thomasd2444]

1:27:43 - 12 JUN 1754 - The 2nd Discourse 1:29:45 - 1:29:55 - Published Jun 1755

[@annasahebpawar8336]

Really great Philosopher

[@Randall2023]

Winnipeg Manitoba Canada 🇨🇦

[@marcoscastillojaen1888]

Un niño enamorado de la naturaleza.

[@thomasd2444]

4:30:39 - More ardent than enlightened but sincere in everything ____________ Simple & good but sensitive & weak ____________ Often doing evil & always loving the good ____________ Adhering, rather to my sentiments, than to my interests

[@Herintruththelies]

I have always been taught to despise Rousseau. After completing this 6 hour book, I feel as if I understand why I was taught by those who taught me...to avoid him. I do, however, wish that they had not done so. There is nothing here that my mind cannot handle, I don't think. I'm not sure I agree with Rousseau but at the same time I'm not sure I entirely disagree with him. I was once inspired to stop reading about Darwin and to simply.... read Darwin. I consider it one of the more profitable uses of my time. I suspect that perhaps an inspection of Rousseau's Emile and Social Contract will reward me in some way. Thanks for sharing this, RockyC. Edit* This was written from the perspective of a midwestern American Blue/Middle Class atheist, Randian, Smithian, Jeffersonian.

[@lukajung9051]

Get Allan Bloom's translation of Emille. You wont regret it.

[@doublenegation7870]

If you thought reading Rousseau and Darwin first hand was a trip, wait until you read Marx. You'll be dropping the "Randian" appellation once you do.

[@sectiond1]

Enable auto subtitles please

[@asoulist4829]

0:00 1.0 Rousseau wanderer 0:08 1.1 The confessions 6:48 1.2 Homeless 22:36 1.3 Mama 38:31 1.4 Lyon, Venice, Paris 55:48 1.5 Is civilization a disease? 1:14:25 1.6 Paris and Geneva 1:27:17 1.7 The crimes of civilization 1:41:35 1.8 The conservative 1:45:52 1.9 Escape from paris 1:59:27 2.0 Rousseau romantic 1:59:33 2.1 In the hermitage 2:11:01 2.2 In love 2:23:53 2.3 Much ado 2:31:18 2.4 The brake 2:47:29 2.5 The new Eloise 3:06:29 3.0 Rousseau Philosopher 3:06:32 3.1 The social contract 3:32:23 3.2.1 Education 3:47:33 3.2.2 Religion 3:57:54 3.2.3 Love and Marriage 4:08:48 4.0 Rousseau Outcast 4:08:53 4.1 Flight 4:20:31 4.2 Rousseau and the archbishop 4:36:10 4.3 Rousseau and the calvinists 4:44:28 4.4 Rousseau and Voltaire 4:53:05 4.5 Boswell meets Rousseau 5:01:44 4.6 A constitution for Corsica 5:06:01 4.7 Fugitive 5:19:38 4.8 Rousseau in England 5:39:12 5.0 Rousseau Epilogue 5:39:19 5.1 The haunted spirit 5:58:45 5.2 The influence of Rousseau

[@planksip]

If you like this sort of work, I have 80% of Plato's dialogs to go through. Interested?

[@asoulist4829]

​@@planksipUh, sure. So you want to time stamp platonic dialogues?

[@asoulist4829]

​@planksip I'm interested. I'm just not entirely sure of what you're asking me.

[@DurantandFriends]

@asoulist4829 please message me through planksip.org/contact, the reason being is that I don't want to post my email in the comments. Send me a message and I will set up a video meeting with you via Google Meet.

[@asoulist4829]

​​@DurantandFriends Did you get my message?

[@Bobbleheads56]

Rousseaus political thought is still relevant today. In my opinion, this guy is one of the most important dudes of the modern era

[@thomasd2444]

4:33:43 - [J J Rousseau] felt the reproach of those who told him: Though all men of intelligence think as you do, it is not good that the commonalty - the Vulgar - should think so "This is what they cry out to me, on every side. This is perhaps what you, yourself (Archbisop of Paris), would tell me if we were alone in your study. Such are men. They change their language with their clothes. They speak the truth only in their dressing gowns. In their public dress, they know only how to lie. And not only are they deceivers and imposters in the face of mankind but they are not ashamed to punish against their own conscience whoever refuses to be public cheats and liars like themselves." 4:34:22 - This difference between what we believe and what we preach is at the heart of the corruption in modern civilization. There are prejudices which we should respect but not if they turn education into a massive deception & undermine the moral basis of society. And if those prejudices become murderous, shall we still be silent about their crimes ?

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Words which are even truer today than ever ! Rousseau and Voltaire : what great minds France produced during that era. Compare with the pygmies we have today.?

[@thomasd2444]

4:30:00 - Why must I say anything to you ? ____________ What common language can we speak ? ____________ How can we understand each other ? 4:30:26 - Dispute lead to dispute ... repose & friends have disappeared

[@henriomoeje8741]

His philosophy greatly influenced the French Revolution but didn't get to see the transformation of debauchery France.

[@asoulist4829]

In Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Adolescent, the main character, Arkady Dolgoruky, remarks how he enjoys shocking people by telling them that Rousseau said in the confessions that he would wait for women to come around corners and expose himself to them. I thought that ment his junk. Good to know it was his ass. ✨️The more you learn✨️

[@nvraman]

Technology has helped me to speed read and comprehend these books. Earlier it was difficult to read more than 10 pages in print and i was distracted or would induce sleep. Now i have the audio file to push me read the print and i can adjust speed of the audio file to my pitch and complete reading about 30-40 pages in an hour and planned well. I have Story of Philosophy by WD, but don't see a chapter on ROUSSEAU. Am i missing anything. Please help.

[@thomasd2444]

Emile - Classic Illustrated PB - 29 APR 2019 by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Author), L. Carr (Editor), Barbara Foxley (Translator) ISBN-13: 978-1096273851 ISBN-10: 1096273853 * Beautifully illustrated with atmospheric paintings by renowned artists, Emile is a fascinating treatise on the nature of education and on the nature of man.

[@thomasd2444]

4:50:51 - The long quarrel between Voltare & Rousseau

[@kas8131]

Is there a list of all the recordings in order?

[@malicant123]

Is the speaker here actually Will Durant, or is the reader someone else?

[@erglelergle8476]

The answer to the opening question: people are stupid and easily manipulated with emotion.

[@thomasd2444]

4:28:26 - 4:29:18 - Always resolving to write no more replied in 128 pages 18NOV1762 & printed MAR1763 4:29:42 - Condemned by both leading religions

[@cornopeanus]

Anyway to get just the audio of this? None of my typical conversion sites will convert a video this large. and thanks so much for uploading these. Very useful.

[@cornopeanus]

No need. I was able to find a converter which handled the longer video. Thanks for your time,

[@bereketisaac8481]

@@cornopeanus Hello Chris. Would you be able to share that converter please? I would love to listen to this on my audio player. Thank you.

[@thomasd2444]

4:31:06 - Confessing my faults to my friends & my opinions to all the world 4:31:08 - He morned less the Catholic than the Calvanist condemnation of Emile 4:33:26 -

[@tousifreza7403]

Sir please provide subtitles in English

[@d.c.8828]

@2:20:08 [Bookmark]

[@thomasd2444]

4:20:30 - TWO : Rousseau & The Archbishop (of Paris20 AUG 1762) 4:24:20 - 4:26:36 - 4:27:23 -

[@braudhadoch3432]

wow, what a brave man to release a life's secrets in the late 1700s

[@braudhadoch3432]

sexual attraction to displaying the bum in public, wow, didn't know that about him

[@BrianStyleDeath]

It seems like Rousseau is his favorite this thing is so long lol I listened to the whole thing. I don't necessarily love his philosophy his idea of the natural state of men is pretty wrong and alot of his ideas on how to teach a superior man seem pretty absurd, but then again he might've been very original for his time and there's alot to say about original thoughts. Maybe his idea of the natural state is right for some kind people but for most it's not.

[@BrianStyleDeath]

@@DurantandFriends I really can't say maybe he would've been for it initially. I'm not too familiar with marxs writings (he used the terms proletariat and burgoise but that's about all the specifics I know). It might've appealed to rosseaus idealism. Though I imagine skeptical smart people back then could've saw the dangers of communism and it's almost inevitable end result coming, or at least wouldve got a feeling of alarm from peasants tearing down everything under the promise of equality. Sorry I couldn't give a more insightful answer. Thanks for these uploads, they're really good.

[@Bobbleheads56]

@@DurantandFriends i know this is old but id argue that marx took the best parts of rousseau, the idealism and the desire for equality and peace, and perverted them

[@1shpendi]

I think his ideas are very moral and just, ha says all the land be owned by the state then give the land to the people accordingly and his promotion for agriculture and commerce. I believe he was one of the greatest thinkers.

[@rolldeepNASA]

oh, rosseau...

[@thomasd2444]

4:20:30 - TWO : Rousseau & The Archbishop (of Paris20 AUG 1762) EMILE, OR ON EDUCATION. Translated by Allan Bloom HC - 1 JAN 1979 ISBN-13: 978-0465019311 ISBN-10: 9780465019311 Alan Bloom's new translation of Emile, Rousseau's masterpiece on the education and training of the young, is the first in more than seventy years.

[@thomasd2444]

4:36:05 - They have raised Statues to J J Rousseau THREE : Rousseau & the Calvinists

[@stuarthicks2696]

The chains of nature far worse than those of society. Disagree with most of his ideas but sympathize with him for some reason. Reminds me of Socrates in a way. More about vexing than building or positing. Inequality is nature anyway.

[@Sphynra]

24:40 GET IN THE ROBOT, ROUSSEAU

[@LeeFerikson]

or Voltaire will have to pilot it again

[@trapped_monkey]

Low audio.

[@jaybrock9452]

Does anybody know what book this is / what book this is from?

[@SadistAssassin]

Rousseau and the Revolution

[@shelleyharris9349]

1:23

[@humaneskits9318]

1:45:59

[@TheJask101]

Who is the narrator?

[@2msvalkyrie529]

It's not Laurence Olivier .. .( to be fair , it's not too bad )

[@asoulist4829]

I find Rousseau difficult to like/love, but also difficult to dislike/hate. Difficult to like/love: Because of what he did to his children, the appalling things he said about and did to women, his clear hypocrisy in some cases, how incredibly BAD some his work is. However difficult to dislike/hate because of: A call for a universal denunciation of slavery, his recognition that education is the key to direct democracy, him coming from humble beginnings and living very modestly, and how incredibly GOOD some his work is.

[@DurantandFriends]

I have similar feelings about Rousseau. I am a traditionalist, not a revolutionary. I like how you counterpointed your dislike with a priori difficulty.

[@Netsolace-tech]

What's the name of the narrator?

[@DurantandFriends]

Grover Gardner

[@Netsolace-tech]

@@DurantandFriends thanks a bunch!

[@anyoneyousee7772]

4:02:00

[@wabakoen5548]

3:29:00

[@asoulist4829]

4:23:19 Huh?

[@DurantandFriends]

Ah yes, you have identified a glitch, or a recording error. I could remove it but because it's less than 10 seconds, I chose to leave it.

[@asoulist4829]

@@DurantandFriends ok

[@bilinguru]

A great thinker, but no other period or place was so full of vanity and pretension than 18th century France. I'm not sure Rousseau ever actually believed a single word he wrote, but rather simply loved the sound of his own voice and taking positions counter to whatever opinions were popular at the time.

[@thomasd2444]

1:30:43 -

[@azamzaidi9010]

عو،رت،پءفکہرکرتہ کاش مینمان نیہ ہوتیہ گرلتوپیدہ نیہ کرتیہ دنیہ دیناوردیندنءیہ ہوتیہ متبدللعیہہو گءیہ شکروالا نبءین والاحح

[@rgaleny]

SEE ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTAINENCE

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Or " Philosophy For Dummies " as it ought to be named.

[@thomasd2444]

4:30:53 - Fearing God w/o fearing Hell ____________ Reasoning on Religion but w/o Libertinage 4:30:58 - Loving neither impiety nor fanaticism ____________ but HATING the intolerant more than the free-thinker

[@BurnigLegionsBlade]

The amount of logical and factual errors in his first essay are incredibile.

[@Randall2023]

Dauphin River First Nation Manitoba Canada 🇨🇦 killuminati KKKanada

[@RickDelmonico]

There is no proper definition of the fool, a definition would suggest that the fool is predictable.

[@abbeymaeliam1]

What an odd person

[@stuarthicks2696]

Pol pot and Jim Jones probably thought themselves Rousseau’s followers as much as they did Marx’s.

[@shannonm.townsend1232]

Probable they never read Rosseau

[@gianlucagatto6074]

wow 6hs on rousseau, this really is wasted time... did you, did you get it?

[@MrAwrsomeness]

1 hour and a half for Nietzsche but 6 for this guy

[@Cotonou1331]

Its hard to argue that Rousseau didn't have a greater impact. If anything, the 1:4 ratio is generous to Nietzsche.

[@MrAwrsomeness]

Cotonou1331 Rousseau is just philosopher number 21 thousand of the enlightenment who had a fetishism for Christian morality disguised behind philosophy and Christian piety behind pseudo science. He's not that important. "All the thinkers of europe from Augustine to Rousseau to Tolstoy have been carrying on the legacy of the Jews all except for Frederick Nietzsche the last pagan of Europe" - Kalergi.

[@Cotonou1331]

I don't see what that has to do with anything. I was speaking of historical impact. Rousseau was the patron saint of the Revolution which overthrew the most powerful monarchy in Europe, as well as the leading voice against Enlightenment thought (to which Nietzsche himself owes a debt, as pointed out by both Russell and McCumber). Nietzsche, on the other hand, has had little impact outside of the sphere of philosophers. The only reason he's known at all today is because someone dredged up his notes and de-Nazi'ed them, whereas by that time Rousseau had already become permanently ingrained in western culture via his Social Contract and the Romantic movement which he fathered.

[@craig567]

Herbert Spencer surprised me the most.

[@nodsloss6748]

Same. I didn't expect to like Spencer.

[@lukajung9051]

Cant believe this is 6hrs long but Voltaire's is much less. Smh. There aren't even passages on Locke, Montesquieu, Tocqueville. Durant is overrated, especially his interpretation of the Greeks. Better stick to the primary sources themselves.

[@blahblahblahblah2837]

He may be overrated, but this series of Durants' has been my first exposure to _any_ of the works of Spinoza, Rousseau, Voltaire, Schopenhauer, Aristotle, Plato etc. It's a god-send (or a post-god send) for me and likely others

[@davyroger3773]

I was more appalled that he lent only 10 minutes to Alexander The Great

[@2msvalkyrie529]

@ Luka jung Judging by your comment it's not apparent that you derived any great insights from your perusal of the ' primary sources ' .

[@SadistAssassin]

Haha then Will Durant's "Greatest Minds and Ideas" will interest you.

[@siddharthamishra1999]

He has an entire book, The Age of Voltaire, which is actually the prequel of the book this section was taken from (Rousseau and Revolution). Voltaire features prominently in both that volume and the sequel. As someone who's read both volumes I am confident that Voltaire gets more screentime than Rousseau does, Durant when covering major historical events would often interject with Voltaire's comments on the situation. He covers Locke and Montesquie in "The Age of Reason Begins" (maybe Montesqiue is in "The age of Louis IV", I don't remember exactly). Durant sources Tocqueville and mentions him a few times in the final 2 volumes of The Story of Civilization, but yes he isn't given a whole section. He doesn't really focus on the Americas or any really any European colonies except in how it impacted Europe. Giants like even Jefferson aren't featured. I had hoped to see a bigger section on Tom Paine too, but besides a couple of mentions here and there, Durant only really talks about Paine's views about Christianity. Despite all of that I haven't seen anyone else cover so much ground and capture the flow of European culture, politics, philosophy and science as Durant does in The Story Of Civilization, I would highly recommend it