Rousseau developed a Theistic view of the human conscience that plays a crucial role in his idea of a general will. If one denies the existence of a conscience created by God in the human soul, one undermines Rousseau’s political theology which is dependent on this idea. This causes problems for secular atheists who want to appropriate Rousseau’s ideas.
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Unlike your bulldog, I listened to the end and enjoyed this lecture! Our book club is reading Johnson's "Intellectuals", and he begins with "Rousseau, An Interesting Madman". He lived such a wretched life.