HSTEU302      SECOND PAPER TOPICS: 

Second papers should be 5-7 pages, typed, double spaced, no plastic or cardboard
covers, just a title page. We will look over outlines or rough drafts [check with TA for her schedules],
or you can take a draft to History Writing Center, Smith 210

Voltaire, Candide: After 1755 Lisbon earthquake, Voltaire wrote Candide (1758-9) as an
attack on Liebniz’ philosophical view of a divinely ordained “pre-established harmony” in the
universe.  Be sure to read Daniel Gordon’s Introduction to Candide .

1.  Voltaire's favorite poet was Alexander Pope, the author of the "Essay on Man" [see class handout #7
and link under "Short Readings] and, along with Leibniz, a primary exponent of philosophical optimism expressed
in his phrase "Whatever is, is right."  But Voltaire's sensitivity to the injustices of both nature and history
made him reject this view.   How does Voltaire use a literary narrative, basically a simple story, to critique
Liebniz’ theoretical and philosophical views?  [Optional: you may want to look at Voltaire’s poem
on Lisbon earthquake which will be posted under "Short Readings."]

2.  Daniel Gordon describes Candide in terms of “Voltaire’s double identity,” as an engaged Enlightened
opponent of injustice and intolerance, but also a skeptic about the limits of reason and abstraction in
confronting the problems of human life.  Discuss each of these aspects of Candide, and their interaction
in the course of the story.  In your view, are the two themes emphasized equally or does one ultimately
emerge more strongly than the other?

3. What are the sources of evil and human misfortune in Voltaire's Candide?  Is reason an adequate instrument
against evil?  Is nature a force for good or evil? 

4.  Voltaire is a keen observer of human experience, with a sharp eye for the "follies of human history."  Which
aspects of European history and institutions does he find particularly good targets for his weapons of irony, satire
and indignation?  What is it about his critique that qualifies it as "enlightened"? 
(or:  What is Voltaire for and what is he against?)

Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

5.  Rousseau was an insistent social critic who repeatedly denounced modern (that is, l8th century) society as
false, artificial and corrupt.  Drawing on his description of the origin of society in the Discourse on the Origin of
Inequality, discuss the sources and character of this corruption.  How did modern man become false and corrupt? 
Does Rousseau suggest any cures?

6.  Is Rousseau more romantic than enlightened?  Compare the role of human reason with that of feeling, instinct
and desire in Discourse on Origin of Inequality.   Which does he see as more characteristic of human nature: reason or emotion?

7. Like other political theorists of the l7th & l8th century, Rousseau used the concept of an original "state of nature"
as a measure against which to judge society as he knew it.  Discuss his views of nature and society in the Discourse
on the Origin of Inequality including his depiction of the transition from natural to social existence.  (Optional: Compare
Rousseau's definition of these states with those of Locke in Second Treatise on Government.)

8.  Property assumes a very different place in Rousseau's theory of society and government than it did for
John Locke.  Compare their respective attitudes towards the interrelationships of property, nature and society.

French Revolutionary Documents

This topic draws on the reading assigned for section from Week VIII, including the following documents available in Censer and Hunt:

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, 1789 [C&H, 45-47]
Hourwitz, Vindication of the Jews, 1788 [C&H, 42-43]
Essars, On Emancipation of the Negroes, 1790 [C&H, 133-6]
Olympia de Gouges The Rights of Women, 1791 [C&H, CD-ROM and posted under "Short Readings" on Course Web Page.]

9. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen represents a culmination of Enlightenment
discussions of such concepts as “natural rights” and “social contract.” Write an essay comparing
the Declaration’s definition of the “rights of man” awith one or more of the other documents listed
above. How do the statements in favors of rights for Jews, Negroes and women differ from the
universalizing claims of the Declaration? Consider who is writing each document and how their
claims are presented.

[You can use questions posted for Wk VIII Discussion section as a guide to these documents.]