The history and context of Journalism- Week 1 lecture and reading

The history and context of journalism is back, with the start of a new topic: Romanticism.

A period during the late 18^th and early 19^th century which completely differed to that studied in the last semester, romanticism offers a revolt against political norms of the enlightenment, including facts, knowledge and science of Hume, Locke and other philosophers and instead concentrates on nature ,way of feeling and passions instead.

Romanticism was a revolutionary period, led by Jean Rousseau, also known as the father of the Romantic Movement; he was an influential person in this period as a result of his ‘social contract’ which even inspired the French revolution.

His idea of sensibility in the social contract was unlike any other ideas of his time as he was against reason. Rousseau believed in the innocence of nature and that man was virtuous, and that the current period was a golden age against the corruption of the 18^th century.

One of Rousseau’s main ideas was natural civilisation, unlike the civilised world that he was living in, taking the idea of the people of Tahiti who lives un-civilised lives but still appeared to be happy and content with their way of life without civilisation or ownership, which Rousseau believed led to civilisation. Rousseau wanted man to be free, rather than being controlled by government and trapped by completion of self esteem.  Rousseau’s love of nature and the paradise of Tahiti inspired his ideas. Rousseau wanted men to be taken as they were, and for them to be free. However Rousseau wanted laws to be created agreed to by all and then followed without loss of freedom; anyone not agreeing would be made to agree. Rousseau did not want a public and private unlike liberals and a direct democracy. However there was great opposition and left him in many disputes.

Opposition to Rousseau’s ideas were that it seemed impossible to return to a life without civilisation or ruling and that doing this would hinder progression made in science and the use of facts and knowledge; which is exactly what the romantic period brought to society: a break from the rapid progression which was being made in society. It also seemed impossible to have a life where laws would take away freedom, and that anyone could do anything. The idea of general will seemed to bring about dictatorship and was therefore dangerous.  

Rousseau’s ideas were definitely revolutionary but do not seem to work with an entire population in my opinion. However before the reading and lecture I had no idea of Rousseau’s influence on the French revolution and the Declaration of the rights of man and during the reign of Terror. Rousseau’s ideas are clearly in the declaration and the equality of all is clear to see with the invention of the guillotine which meant anyone who was executed was executed in the same way.

Leading on from Rousseau and the idea of taking men as they are, Mary Wollstonecraft became the first woman to fight for the rights of woman; increasing this revolutionary period. Her beliefs that men and women are equal and that only their respected educations made them differ was definitely revolutionary and inspired many other young women to follow her ideas later. However I will blog more on Mary Wollstonecraft after next week’s seminar.  

reference:
http://danassays.wordpress.com/encyclopedia-of-the-essay/rousseau-jean-jacques/jean-jacques-rousseau/