

90 - Heroes are Dangerous: Rousseau & Nietzsche with Johnathan Bi
63 snips Jun 12, 2024
Former startup professional turned researcher Johnathan Bi discusses Rousseau's impact, the duality of heroism, selfish glory in Silicon Valley, the difference between desire for power and execution, and tech startups' non-egalitarian nature
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Rousseau's Plutarch Obsession
- Stendhal advised his sister to read Plutarch's Lives, believing it shaped Rousseau's character.
- Rousseau's love for Plutarch's biographies of great men influenced his republican spirit and love of liberty.
Rousseau's Paradoxical View of Heroes
- Rousseau's admiration for heroes contradicts his egalitarian philosophy.
- Heroism, inherently elitist, clashes with Rousseau's emphasis on reason and equality.
Early Influences and Inner Conflict
- Rousseau's father and Plutarch fueled his early love for heroism and virtue.
- This passion, however, became a source of torment as it clashed with his circumstances.