Thoughts on Rousseau's Discourse Part 2

The most intriguing idea that Rousseau brings up for me is the concept that the man of nature is more concentrated on himself, whereas the civilized man is more concentrated on all things external to himself. “Each began to look at the others and to want to be looked at himself; and public esteem came to be prized… and this was the first step towards inequality and at the same time towards vice. (114)” Rousseau seems to imply that humans only learned to become cruel, and were not originally cruel. When I first read that line, I immediately thought of all the things I do in expectation, or maybe in hope, that others will see: I make sure my face is clean and shaven, although I will never actually even see my face (except in a mirror or photograph), I make sure I am fully clothed, with all buttons buttoned and all zippers zippered, (nothing seems more embarrassing than someone else noticing your zipper is down), I even take great stakes to decide what shirts and clothes I wear, because that in itself is something I want to show other people. For example, today I am wearing a Beatles shirt. This is significant to me, because I feel that this shirt tells people that I have not conformed to listen to the rap and garbage that has become popularized in music today, but instead choose to listen to classic rock.
Rousseau says that we become obsessed with the appearance we give, and in the process lose sight of what we really were in essence: “It was necessary in one’s own interest to seem to be other than one was in reality (119).” This strengthens his original idea about civilized man looking outward, and again I see a parallel in today’s society. Among college age people, Facebook is becoming a staple of society. The interest, and at points the unhealthy obsession, with Facebook, seems to me that each person can control what others see of them. They are completely aware what pictures of them are available for others to see. They control and create their own unique profile for others to see. Why would I make a list of my interests, favorite music, education info, and photos of me if it was for myself? I surely know all these things about myself. But it is the desire to tell other people what you are about that fuels Facebook. Most importantly, each person is completely aware of what is available for others to see, which is a true perk. When I go out on a weekend, I look in the mirror before I go out, and probably occasionally throughout the night, but I cannot know constantly how I look. With Facebook and Myspace, each person is constantly aware of what others perceive of him or her.
Rousseau goes further, saying that “the savage lives within himself; social man lives always outside himself; he knows how to live only in the opinion of others, it is, so to speak, from their judgment alone that he derives the sense of his own existence (136).” Our whole system of comparing and contrasting, good and bad, vice and virtue, is born out of our first attempt to appeal to others. I think this is Rousseau’s strongest point about the civilization of man. It explains why we sometimes have a tendency to be vain, and to constantly look out for ourselves in selfishness.
However, in general I find Rousseau’s euphoric depiction of the savage man a little overdone. Although the savage man is more likely to choose peace over violence, he clearly cannot identify his first virtue as compassion. He is more animal like, with no reasons to interact with other people. Because he is not inclined to violence, but rather pity, I do not find this sufficient reason to be jealous and nostalgic towards our beginnings. Rousseau’s findings are important and revolutionary in the relation to the ideas of other philosophers at the time. But I would find it hard to believe that anyone in our society would gladly choose to live among savage humans who are less violent and jealous, but also do not have the joys and happiness that is only available in civilized man. The passion of love, he claims, is completely nonexistent in the savage man. This seems to me to be a deterrent, for isn’t love of one another what propels our civilized society to constantly move forward?