The *state as parent: Locke, Rousseau and the transformation of the family

The purpose of this study is to help explain die radical transformation of the understanding of the family in modern society, specifically, with regard to the family's relationship with the state. The writings of John Locke (1632-1704) and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) are the primary focus of this study because, according to the author, they are not only major Western political thinkers but have also formulated ideas that may be considered paradigmatic for the transformation of the view of the family-state relationship.;The first chapter examines the relationship between the family and the state in the ancient and medieval period, providing not a detailed historical survey of family patterns or of the shifting relationship between domestic and state authority but a historical frame of reference for understanding Locke and Rousseau's theoretical departure from an earlier view of the family.;The second chapter explores Locke's individualistic political theory in the context of his dispute with the apologists for absolutist monarchy. Locke's critique of the patriarchal theory of Sir Robert Filmer, the subject of his First Treatise, is highlighted because it is indicative of Locke's new conception of the family, which involves the restriction of paternal authority and the diminution of the family's civic role.;The third chapter studies the relationship between Rousseau's understanding of the family and his seemingly paradoxical preoccupation with the absolute freedom of the individual and the unity of the entire community. The desire to free the individual from the control of "partial societies," such as the family, is shown to be related to the conviction that only a more invasive, "parental," state can realize the good of the individual. The dual significance of the family in Rousseau's thought---as a "partial society" and as the idyllic refuge from society---is considered.;In the fourth chapter Locke's notion of the "malleability" of character is shown to make education a matter for professionals and experts. Rousseau, who both adapts and critiques Lockean themes in his educational writings, sees education as a means of removing the societal obstacles to the child's natural development. The theories of both Locke and Rousseau carry implications for a reduction or elimination of parental jurisdiction over education.;In the fifth chapter the writings of selected contemporary commentators who embody, or are critical of, key Lockean and Rousseauist ideas about the family-state relationship are examined.;The sixth and concluding chapter offers a summary, analysis and assessment of the assumptions regarding the family-state relationship that have undergone the most significant change since the ancient/medieval era.;The dissertation argues that the traditional family is based on a recognition of the person's need for social relationships, most importantly those of the family. It also argues that key presuppositions of the modern state have diverged to such a degree from those of the ancient/medieval state as to make the end of the traditional family ultimately incompatible with the end of the modern state. Understanding the theories of the family of Locke and Rousseau is critical to understanding modern thinking concerning the family's relationship with the state and the state's increased claim of authority over the individual.