Isabella Tianzi Cai
PH412 Philosophy of the Enlightenment
April 13, 2009
Two interesting analyses of reason emerge in Emile Book IV. First, if we consider reason and conscience as the guidance of our actions, we shall realize that the latter outperforms the former. Rousseau writes, “Too often reason deceives us. We have acquired only too much right to challenge it. But conscience never deceives; it is man’s true guide” (286). The problem with reason is its persuasiveness. A mind that is not well-developed remains corruptible by false reason. Even if all arguments are logical, some are good while others bad. This is why Rousseau wants Emile to trust his conscience, which is developed internally despite its somewhat mysterious and illusive origin, rather than his reason, which is the exact opposite of conscience by being stimulated externally, in certain obscure situations.
Other qualities of reason that Rousseau keeps reminding us are its dryness and coldness. Supremely good reason may be painfully boring. This is why Rousseau wants to be careful with reasoning with Emile:
Never reason in a dry manner with youth. Clothe reason in a body if you want to make youth able to grasp it. Make the language of the mind pass through the heart, so that it may make itself understood. I repeat, cold arguments can determine our opinions, but not our actions. They make us believe and not act. They demonstrate what must be thought, not what must be done. If that is true for all men, it is a fortiori true for young people, who are still enveloped in their senses and think only insofar as they imagine. (323)
The disparity between people’s thoughts and actions is easliy explicable if we agree with Rousseau’s insight into the nature of reason. Although people know that it is wrong to do something bad, sometimes they still choose to do it because the reason not to do so is too cold and dry to stop them. Since Emile is to feel the same some time soon, Rousseau’s solution is to instill a good faith in Emile before Emile loses his heart. Rousseau thinks that religion is helpful in this case, but I see the role of religion mainly to counter the coldness and dryness of reason.
