How did Adam Smith and Rousseau differ from many of their Enlightenment contemporaries_____________?
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Answer: C. emphasized the importance of human emotions as guiding behavior.
Explanation
Adam Smith and Jean Jacques Rousseau recognized that human sentiments play a vital role in shaping behavior. Unlike rigid rationalists, they argued that moral actions stem from emotional empathy and human passions. Their philosophies bridged cold intellectualism with a deep appreciation for emotional human nature. Adam Smith wrote extensively on moral sentiments before publishing his foundational economic theories. Jean Jacques Rousseau emphasized emotional authenticity and natural human feelings over artificial civilization. Enlightenment thinkers debated endlessly about the proper balance between human reason and passion.
Recognizing the role of emotion foreshadowed the rise of the Romantic movement in Europe. Economic and political theories often incorporate human psychology and emotional drivers today. Studying these thinkers reveals the complex intellectual transition toward romantic emotionalism. Traveling to America was not a defining shared biographical trait for these two European philosophers. Believing in God was standard for almost all European thinkers of that historical era. Neither thinker rejected Newton's overarching mechanical view of the physical universe.
- Subject
- English
- Category
- English Literature
- Topic
- —
- Difficulty
- medium
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