The evaluation of amour-propre is the basis of Rousseau's critique of inequality.In the Second Discourse,amour-propre is described as an excessive self-love that manifests as a desire to gain the recognition of one's superiority over others,thus being the principal psychological motivation of the inequalities between men.In recent years,however,researchers began to reassess this concept,arguing that it is originally a harmless passion that desires only to be esteemed as an equal moral being.The researchers thus pointed out that,since the passion finds its echo in Rousseau's egalitarian politics,Rousseau's moral and social theory could be taken as a coherent system in terms of the problem of amour-propre.This interpretation has gradually become a dominant one,especially in Anglophone Rousseau studies.However,by reexamining the'egalitarian'reading,it can be seen that their understanding of amour-propre cannot be adequately supported by direct textual evidence;and it leads to exegetic incoherence when attempting to develop a single thread of Rousseau's theory on this basis.Therefore,it is necessary to restore a proper understanding of amour-propre and rethink Rousseau's system.
Jean-Jacques Rousseauamour-propreamour de soiNeo-Kantianism
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