Welcome to your new ‘Big Question Topic Blog!’
- Please read the question below
- Think about your answer
- Discuss the question with your family (Do you share the same opinions or not?)
- Write your answer below
Welcome to your new ‘Big Question Topic Blog!’
I think this means that we were born free and we have the right to be free so even if we are somewhere around the world and maybe we are chained up for no reason we are allowed freedom.
Though I do think that if we have done wrong should know that there are consequences and if it is really bad I do believe it is right to go to prison.
Thank you Jade, yes I also agree that although we have freedom, society needs to constrain people who have done wrong.
This is a bizarre message. It is said in an old fashioned, formal, way. I find it confusing because it says that a man is born free, but he is in chains. I also find it confusing whether he is saying the man is in chains, or the place is in chains, but I finished with the answer the man is in chains. There is definitely a meaning behind the message. It’s one of these messages where we think of what it means, not the man who said it. It’s like reading a book, you picture what it’s like. I think this message is telling us that everyone is born free with rights, but as the community changes, we have less rights. Maybe the chains are like laws, or orders, or maybe the man is a slave. So the message is telling us that some people’s rights are taken away, although everyone is born innocent and free. I wonder what other people think?
Good morning Ethan. Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I agree that it is an old fashioned phrase and can be interpreted in different ways. I suppose I think of it as we are born free but society constrains us? I will talk to my family and see what they think. 🙂
Jean-Jacques Rousseau said;
“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains”.
This means that laws and rules limit our freedom but we need them to be able to live peacefully. If we didn’t have rules the world would be chaotic. I think what matters for us to be free is the types of rules we need to follow.
That’s such a good point Anahi! I agree, we need some rules to live peacefully
I think this means that the people are free to do what they want but there are rules stopping them doing dangerous things. With rules, the world world is a better place as no should commit crimes and doing bad deeds.
I agree, rules are important in society. Thanks Ariella 🙂
I thinks this means everyone is free but there are limits to our freedom and we have think about how we acting and using our freedom.
Yes, thinking about how we use our freedom is important! (Just check for missing words 🙂 )
I think that a person is free to do whatever they want, but they have to face the rules in life chaining them back.
That’s an interesting description Laetitia 🙂
I think this quote means that there will always be restrictions in life or this could mean that the people around the man are in chains . There many ways someone could interpret this quote but I think these two are what I think are the most common interpretations.
Thank you Timothy, it is interesting to hear how different people interpret the quote
I think this means everyone ought to be free but we have limits. We must not hurt anyone and make sure everyone is as free as everyone else. We must always remember nobody is perfect and being free doesn’t apply just to one person
Thank you Jeanne, it is important to remember that nobody is perfect!
“Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains.”
To understand these words you have to look at them in the context of the time they were written.
Jean Jacque Rousseau, a ‘philosopher’, lived during the Age of Enlightenment. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1712 into an upper-middle class family. His dad was a clock maker and his mum was Aristocratic.
As he was from a wealthy family he would travel around Europe, and he met up with other philosophers. Two of which were Voltaire and Dielerot.
They would gather in cafés or one of their houses (also called Salons) and they would discuss ideas and enlightenment. Voltaire and Dielerot later complained that Rousseau was a hypocrite and stole their ideas and later turned against him.
He continued to travel around Europe gathering ideas and kept complaining about the authority and laws.
These words, together with other ideas of Rousseau’s, in particular on the equality of mankind and the religion of the State, directly influenced the French Revolution, National Socialism and Communism. They are therefore responsible for more loss of innocent life than any other words in history. In each example they led people into breaking imaginary chains, only to be chained by real ones, and far worse.
FRENCH REVOLUTION: 40,000 killed.
WWII: 75million people killed
COMMUNISM: 100million people killed.
All died because of the influence of Rousseau’s ideas on the state and being chained to the monarchy and religion.
My view is these words are meaningless as there are no chains unless you are imprisoned for doing wrong or in slavery. I see that this might be a metaphor but knowing the context in was written in I don’t agree with it.