Versus Edition 3
Can opposites attract?
Anyone familiar with the stars of our next conversation, you’ll see these two names and wonder what kind of argument these two might get into or possibly even what kind of hijinks? Polar opposites on the philosophical wheel.
If you are unfamiliar, that’s perfectly fine. I’m happy to provide a little bit of background. I would encourage you to go look into any of the historical figures I utilize in these conversations for yourselves. These are fascinating, minds and perspectives, even if I don’t agree with them.
Both of these historical figures were influential during the Enlightenment Era of France mid to late 1700s. But like I mentioned, they were polar opposites, and their philosophies & world views were fundamentally opposed.
Rousseau believed that humans were inherently good but corrupted by society and structures that introduced inequality and competition as well as power. and the Marquis held a much darker view- saying that human nature is primal, violent and hedonistic. He rejected the idea of inherent goodness, stating that self interest, desire and power were human nature.
Very much, giving the odd couple pairing them together in a conversation. They’re bound to disagree vehemently…
Marquis de Sade vs Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Part 1-They’ve met….
Marquis de Sade: [Pouring a glass of wine, looking forward through to our current times] Ah, Jean-Jacques, the beauty of human suffering, it is a canvas painted by the most vivid emotions. A spectacle to behold, is it not? Jean-
Jacques Rousseau: [Sighs] Marquis, your obsession with the darker side of humanity is as persistent as it is troubling. I find solace in the natural state of man, uncorrupted by the vices of society.
Marquis de Sade: [Sips wine] The "noble savage," Rousseau? A fallacy, my friend. Man is born neither good nor evil, merely a creature of desire and impulse.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: [Shakes head] No, Sade. Man is innately good, corrupted only by the constraints of civilization. In nature, we find true freedom and virtue
Marquis de Sade: [Smirking, swirling his wine] Freedom? Virtue? You speak of them as though they are inherent to man. No, Rousseau. Strip away the veneer of society, and what do you find? Not purity, but chaos. Men are wolves to one another, bound only by their insatiable appetites for pleasure, power, and survival.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: [Sternly] You mistake decadence for nature, Marquis. It is civilization, with its inequalities, its hierarchies, that breeds the depravity you so admire. Remove the chains of oppression, and humanity will return to its natural harmony—a people united, governed by the general will, and free from corruption.
Marquis de Sade: [Laughs darkly] Ah, the “general will”—a pleasant fantasy, Jean-Jacques! What you call harmony is merely conformity by another name. The mob rises, yes, but not for noble virtue. It rises for vengeance, for destruction, for the bloodlust that lies at its core. Have you not seen what happens when the oppressed seize power? They become tyrants of a new kind.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: [Frowning, with resolve] That is because such revolts are corrupted by the same systems they seek to overthrow. True revolution must return man to a state where the collective good triumphs over self-interest. Freedom lies not in indulgence but in equality—a society where no man has the power to dominate another.
Marquis de Sade: [Leaning forward, eyes gleaming] And there we disagree most fervently, my dear Rousseau. Power is not an evil to be eradicated; it is a truth to be embraced. Equality? It is an illusion that denies the primal order of existence. Men are not equal, nor do they wish to be. They crave superiority, the thrill of domination, the ecstasy of unleashing their true desires.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: [Visibly disturbed, yet steady] You mistake corruption for desire, Marquis. The human soul longs for connection, for cooperation. A just society uplifts all its members, granting them liberty through mutual respect and shared purpose.
Marquis de Sade: [With mock pity] And what of the darker half of the soul? You speak of connection, but forget cruelty; you speak of cooperation, but ignore conflict. Revolution is not the path to harmony—it is a purge, a spectacle of suffering. The oppressed rise not to heal, but to claim their own satisfaction.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: [Firmly] Then it is the duty of the enlightened to guide such uprisings—to remind the people that their struggle must be for justice, not revenge. It is the people who hold the power to shape society for the better.
Marquis de Sade: [Smirks, finishing his wine] You place too much faith in mankind, Rousseau. I see revolution as it is: a descent into chaos that reveals our true nature. Perhaps you will call me cynical, but I call it liberation—liberation of the desires we have so long suppressed.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: [Calmly, but with rising passion] And I call it folly to worship such destruction. True liberation lies in virtue, in the reclaiming of what is pure within us. Without such ideals, we are no better than beasts.
Marquis de Sade: [Grinning] Beasts, you say? Perhaps it is time we accepted the beast within us. For it is there, Jean-Jacques, that man finds his truest freedom—not in your utopia, but in the raw honesty of desire and power.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: [Standing, his voice steady] Then we are as far apart as ever, Marquis. I believe in man’s capacity for goodness, for selflessness. Without such hope, we condemn ourselves to endless suffering.
Marquis de Sade: [Also rising, with a flourish] And I embrace the suffering you fear, for it is the crucible of truth. You would chain man with your virtue; I would see him unleashed.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: [Softly, as if to himself] A world without virtue is a world in ruin. [Turning to Sade] But perhaps we can agree on this: the people will rise, whether guided by reason or driven by despair. The question, then, is what they will become once they do.
Marquis de Sade: [Pauses, intrigued] Ah, Rousseau, perhaps there is a sliver of wisdom in you after all. The uprising will come—and it will be a mirror, showing mankind exactly who they are. I, for one, will relish the reflection.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: [Quietly, with conviction] And I will hope for its redemption.
This exchange emphasizes their fundamental clash: Rousseau’s idealistic belief in humanity’s capacity for virtue and collective good versus de Sade’s unapologetic embrace of chaos, suffering, and primal desire. Their tension underscores deeper questions about the outcomes of revolution and human nature itself. There is already a part II mostly written so look forward to a continuation soon!
Meandering Muse is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a monthly paid subscriber or just this once, Buy me a drink.
Resist, Rebel, Revolt-We will not go back ✊🏽 🤘🏽
~~☘️ Ginge ☘️
Wikipedia contributors. "Marquis de Sade." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 Dec. 2024. Web. 17 Dec. 2024.
Wikipedia contributors. "Jean-Jacques Rousseau." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 5 Dec. 2024. Web. 17 Dec. 2024.
indeed.