#09: The Bible as Interpreted through Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Second Discourse — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

#09: The Bible as Interpreted through Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Second Discourse

Name: Andrew Valentini
Major: Physics/Math
Hometown: Wyoming
Faculty Sponsor: Paul Ulrich
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project

Abstract

This paper attempts to understand the Bible through the philosophical lens of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men, commonly referred to as his "Second Discourse." By first explaining the concepts crucial to striking arguments presented throughout the Second Discourse, my work then synthesizes this with the origin story found in the book of Genesis. As is commonly referred to, Genesis depicts humanity’s “fall from grace,” or the moment in which original sin was instituted among our species following the transition from a natural state, marking the beginning of a period in human history constituted by a freedom from God’s divine authority. In doing so, I have arrived at a greater understanding of the Rousseauian framework of thought and have challenged my previous assumptions on this origin story described by the Bible, thereby gaining insight into what is arguably the most consequential text in the western world and how political thought has been developed throughout history following Rousseau’s tradition.

Poster file