Descrição
Rousseau tornou-se famoso por suas fortes críticas aos males advindos das relações sociais, entre eles os que teriam sido causados pelos progressos das ciências e das artes ao longo dos séculos, os quais não foram seguidos, na exposição feita pelo filósofo em seu Primeiro Discurso, por avanços nos campos da moral e da política. Assim, as formas de civilidade dos povos modernos lhe pareciam eivadas de corrupção em diversos modos, algo que as ciências e as artes não apenas ajudavam a agravar, mas igualmente a ocultar com “guirlandas de flores” sobre as correntes da servidão, como na célebre imagem do Discurso. Porém, se esse diagnóstico negativo parece prevalecer na obra do genebrino, ele não deixa de ser tensionado pelo autor com uma perspectiva instigante que, próxima à conclusão do texto, destaca as academias como uma maneira de combater os prejuízos que as ciências e as artes geravam, extraindo o remédio a partir da própria origem do mal a ser combatido. Caso essas instituições fossem apoiadas pelos governantes e dirigidas por sábios verdadeiramente imbuídos do desejo de contribuir para a felicidade dos povos, as ciências e as artes por elas difundidas se uniriam à virtude e seriam fontes de “luzes agradáveis” e de “instruções salutares” para o gênero humano, segundo o pensador. Mesmo que fossem paliativos no contexto mais amplo de um cenário histórico muito distante dos valores políticos e morais nutridos por Rousseau, o destaque dado a essas iniciativas nos estimula a discutir a complexidade das ideias do filósofo acerca do papel social das ciências e das artes, indo além do mero discurso condenatório e abarcando novos elementos em outros de seus textos. E nesse sentido, também nos permite fazer algumas pontes com o estudo da obra de um outro autor cuja escrita foi, em vários aspectos, inspirada em Rousseau, o francês Louis-Sébastien Mercier. Em sua ficção futurista O Ano 2440, ele delineou o cenário de uma sociedade aperfeiçoada pela concretização de ideais da filosofia das Luzes, o que teria conduzido a um regime republicano na França, assim como a consideráveis melhoramentos nas condições de vida da população, sobretudo por uma organização mais racional dos recursos e espaços disponíveis. Na utopia sonhada por Mercier, os saberes científicos avançaram muito e foram aliados à formação moral dos cidadãos, como no caso das crianças cuja educação era feita tendo a Enciclopédia de Diderot e d’Alembert como cartilha elementar, ou dos adolescentes que eram ensinados a perspectivar o lugar do ser humano na ordem do universo ao contemplarem, com o telescópio e o microscópio, os “dois infinitos” da natureza. Então, analisando esses e outros usos da ciência e da tecnologia a serviço da sociedade, tais como retratados por Mercier, podemos refletir junto com ele e com Rousseau sobre a importância desses conhecimentos e instrumentos para o bem público, especialmente em nossa época marcada por práticas de negacionismo científico e desinformação.||Rousseau became famous for his strong critiques of the evils arising from social relations, including those allegedly caused by the progress of sciences and arts throughout the centuries, which, as the philosopher argued in his First Discourse, were not accompanied by advancements in the fields of morality and politics. Thus, the forms of civility of modern peoples seemed to him tainted by corruption in various ways, something that the sciences and arts not only helped to aggravate but also to conceal with "garlands of flowers" over the chains of servitude, as in the Discourse's famous image. However, while this negative diagnosis appears to prevail in the Genevan's work, it is equally challenged by the author with an intriguing perspective which, near the text's conclusion, highlights academies as a way to combat the harms generated by the sciences and arts, drawing the remedy from the very source of the evil to be fought. If these institutions were supported by rulers and led by scholars genuinely imbued with the desire to contribute to the happiness of the people, the sciences and arts diffused by them would unite with virtue and become sources of "agreeable lights" and "salutary instruction" for humankind, according to the thinker. Even if they were palliative measures in the broader context of a historical scenario far removed from the political and moral values nurtured by Rousseau, the emphasis placed on these initiatives encourages us to discuss the complexity of the philosopher's ideas regarding the social role of science and art, moving beyond mere condemnation and incorporating new elements found in his other texts. In this regard, it also allows us to build bridges with the study of the work of another author whose writing was, in many aspects, inspired by Rousseau: the Frenchman Louis-Sébastien Mercier. In his futuristic fiction The Year 2440, he outlined the scenario of a society perfected by the realization of Enlightenment ideals, which would have led to a republican regime in France, as well as considerable improvements in the population's living conditions, especially through a more rational organization of resources and available spaces. In the utopia dreamed up by Mercier, scientific knowledge advanced significantly and was allied with the moral formation of citizens, as in the case of children whose education used Diderot and d’Alembert's Encyclopédie as an elementary primer, or teenagers who were taught to contextualize the human place in the order of the universe by contemplating, with the telescope and the microscope, the "two infinities" of nature. Therefore, by analyzing these and other uses of science and technology in the service of society, as portrayed by Mercier, we can reflect alongside him and Rousseau on the importance of this knowledge and these instruments for the public good, especially in our era marked by practices of scientific denialism and disinformation.
Rousseau became famous for his strong critiques of the evils arising from social relations, including those allegedly caused by the progress of sciences and arts throughout the centuries, which, as the philosopher argued in his First Discourse, were not accompanied by advancements in the fields of morality and politics. Thus, the forms of civility of modern peoples seemed to him tainted by corruption in various ways, something that the sciences and arts not only helped to aggravate but also to conceal with "garlands of flowers" over the chains of servitude, as in the Discourse's famous image. However, while this negative diagnosis appears to prevail in the Genevan's work, it is equally challenged by the author with an intriguing perspective which, near the text's conclusion, highlights academies as a way to combat the harms generated by the sciences and arts, drawing the remedy from the very source of the evil to be fought. If these institutions were supported by rulers and led by scholars genuinely imbued with the desire to contribute to the happiness of the people, the sciences and arts diffused by them would unite with virtue and become sources of "agreeable lights" and "salutary instruction" for humankind, according to the thinker. Even if they were palliative measures in the broader context of a historical scenario far removed from the political and moral values nurtured by Rousseau, the emphasis placed on these initiatives encourages us to discuss the complexity of the philosopher's ideas regarding the social role of science and art, moving beyond mere condemnation and incorporating new elements found in his other texts. In this regard, it also allows us to build bridges with the study of the work of another author whose writing was, in many aspects, inspired by Rousseau: the Frenchman Louis-Sébastien Mercier. In his futuristic fiction The Year 2440, he outlined the scenario of a society perfected by the realization of Enlightenment ideals, which would have led to a republican regime in France, as well as considerable improvements in the population's living conditions, especially through a more rational organization of resources and available spaces. In the utopia dreamed up by Mercier, scientific knowledge advanced significantly and was allied with the moral formation of citizens, as in the case of children whose education used Diderot and d’Alembert's Encyclopédie as an elementary primer, or teenagers who were taught to contextualize the human place in the order of the universe by contemplating, with the telescope and the microscope, the "two infinities" of nature. Therefore, by analyzing these and other uses of science and technology in the service of society, as portrayed by Mercier, we can reflect alongside him and Rousseau on the importance of this knowledge and these instruments for the public good, especially in our era marked by practices of scientific denialism and disinformation.
