A return to nature， meaning by this the abolition of society， is the war-cry of the whole encyclopedic battalion. The same shout is heard in another quarter， coming the battalion of Rousseau and the socialists who， in their turn， march up to the assault of the established régime. The mining and the sapping of the walls practiced by the latter seems less extensive， but are nevertheless more effective， and the destructive machinery it employs consists of a new conception of human nature. This Rousseau has drawn exclusively from the spectacle in his own heart： [28] Rousseau， a strange， original and superior man， who， from his infancy， harbored within him a germ of insanity， and who finally became wholly insane； a wonderful， ill-balanced mind in which sensations， emotions and images are too powerful： at once blind and perspicacious， a veritable poet and a morbid poet， who， instead of things and events beheld reveries， living in a romance and dying in a nightmare of his own creation； incapable of controlling and of behaving himself， confounding resolution with action， vague desire with resolution， and the role he assumed with the character he thought he possessed ； wholly disproportionate to the ordinary ways of society， hitting， wounding and soiling himself against every hindrance on his way； at times extravagant， mean and criminal， yet preserving up to the end a delicate and profound sensibility， a humanity， pity， the gift of tears， the faculty of living， the passion for justice， the sentiment of religion and of enthusiasm， like so many vigorous roots in which generous sap is always fermenting， whilst the stem and the branches prove abortive and become deformed or wither under the inclemency of the atmosphere. How explain such a contrast？ How did Rousseau himself account for it？ Acritic， a psychologist would merely regard him as a singular case， the effect of an extraordinarily discordant mental formation， analogous to that of Hamlet， Chatterton， René or Werther， adopted to poetic spheres， but unsuitable for real life. Rousseau generalizes； occupied with himself， even to infatuation， and， seeing only himself， he imagines mankind to be like himself， and "describes it as the feels it inside himself". His pride， moreover， finds this profitable； he is gratified at considering himself the prototype of humanity ； the statue he erects of himself becomes more important； he rises in his own estimation when， in confessing to himself， he thinks he is confessing the human species. Rousseau convokes the assembly of generations with the trumpet of the day of judgment， and boldly stands up in the eyes of all men and of the Supreme Judge， exclaiming， "Let anyone say， if he dares： 'I was a better man than Thou！' "[29] All his blemishes must be the fault of society； his vices and his baseness must be attributed to circumstances：
"If I had fallen into the hands of a better master....I should have been a good Christian， a good father， a good friend， a good workman， a good man in all things."The wrong is thus all on the side of society. -- In the same way， with Man in general， his nature is good.
"His first impulses are always right..... The fundamental principle of all moral questions which I have argued in all my writings， is that Man is naturally good， and loving justice and order..... 'Emile，' especially， is a treatise on the natural goodness of Man， intended to show how vice and error， foreign to his constitution， gradually find their way into it from without and insensibly change him.....Nature created Man happy and good， while society has depraved him and made him miserable."[30]
Imagine him divested of his factitious habits， of his superadded necessities， of his false prejudices； put aside systems， study your own heart， listen to the inward dictates of feeling， let yourself be guided by the light of instinct and of conscience， and you will again find the first Adam， like an incorruptible marble statue that has fallen into a marsh， a long time lost under a crust of slime and mud， but which， released from its foul covering， may be replaced on its pedestal in the completeness of its form and in the perfect purity of its whiteness.
Around this central idea a reform occurs in the spiritualistic doctrine. -- A being so noble cannot possibly consist of a simple collection of organs； he is something more than mere matter； the impression he derives from his senses do not constitute his full being.
"I am not merely a sensitive and passive being， but an active and intelligent being， and， whatever philosophy may say， I dare claim the honor of thinking."And better still， this thinking principle， in Man， at least， is of a superior kind.
"Show me another animal on the globe capable of producing fire and of admiring the sun. What？ I who am able to observe， to comprehend beings and their associations； who can appreciate order， beauty and virtue； who can contemplate the universe and exalt myself to the hand which controls it； who can love the good and do good， should I compare myself to brutes！" Man is free， capable of deciding between two actions， and therefore the creator of his actions ； he is accordingly a first and original cause， "an immaterial substance，" distinct from the body， a soul hampered by the body and which may survive the body.