The Concept of Civil Religion in Jean-JacquesRousseau

Abstract

This article examines the concept of “civil religion” in Rousseau’s Social Contract. Civil religion, which is very important for Rousseau, is closely related to the other fundamental concepts in the same work such as general will, law, and the Lawgiver. Rousseau believes that a just political regime must be a product of people willing to live together. Rousseau calls this voluntary agreement as the “social contract.” The basis of this regime consists of laws, which are defined by the general will and in turn determine the fair conditions of the social contract. Yet, the realization of this regime depends on an extraordinary figure of a Lawgiver and a civil religion that can resume the work of the Lawgiver. Rousseau conceives civil religion as a preventive institution to prevent the undermining of the social contract by private individuals and groups. Civil religion aims at counteracting the selfish inclinations of individuals that they naturally possess. According to Rousseau, if the self-interest is placed above the common interest, the society and state would dissolve and the state of nature would return. This political role of civil religion is quite important for the right understanding of the concept of civil religion.

Keywords

• Rousseau
• Civil Religion
• Social Contract
• Law
• Lawgiver

Jean-Jacques Rousseau'da Sivil Din Kavramı

Abstract

Bu makale Rousseau’nun Toplumsal Sözleşme eserindeki “sivil din” kavramını incelemektedir. Rousseau’nun oldukça önem verdiği sivil din, yine bu eserde bahsi geçen genel irade, kanun ve Kanun Koyucu gibi diğer temel kavramlarla yakından ilişkilidir. Rousseau, adil bir siyasal düzenin bir arada yaşama arzusunda olan insanların ortak iradesinin ürünü olması gerektiğine inanır. Bu gönüllü mutabakata Rousseau “toplumsal sözleşme” der. Bu düzenin temeli, genel iradenin belirleyeceği ve toplumsal sözleşmenin adil şartlarını oluşturan kanunlardır. Ancak bu adil düzenin gerçekleşmesi olağanüstü bir Kanun Koyucu figürüne ve onun eserini devam ettirecek bir sivil din kurumuna bağlıdır. Rousseau, sivil dini toplumsal sözleşmenin birey veya gruplar tarafından altının oyulmasını engellemeye yönelik bir önleyici kurum olarak kurgular. Sivil din, toplum düzeni içinde yaşayan insanların doğal hallerinde sahip oldukları kendi çıkarını gözetme eğilimlerini engelleme amacı güder. Rousseau’ya göre, insanların kendi çıkarlarını toplumun ortak çıkarlarının önüne geçirmeleri durumunda, toplum ve devlet ortadan kalkacak ve doğal çatışma hali geri gelecektir. Sivil dine biçilen bu siyasi rol, sivil din kavramının doğru anlaşılabilmesi için oldukça önem arz eder.

Keywords

• Rousseau
• Sivil Din
• Toplumsal Sözleşme
• Kanun
• Kanun Koyucu

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