Rousseau's case for and against heroes

Understood properly, Rousseau's account of heroes develops a new understanding of heroism and its effects on ordinary people that is sensitive to the dangers of the heroes as well as to the benefits they confer. He shows how admiration for heroes can help form a civic identity fostering a strong sense of active citizenship. Additionally, he explores the possibility of a less demanding form of citizenship less dependent on heroic models and consequently more compatible with a degree of independence among ordinary people. Comparison of heroic citizenship and the anti-heroic citizenship portrayed in Emile and the unfinished Emile and Sophie shows us how much personal independence must be sacrificed to heroic citizenship, and the limits of efforts to build community spirit on the basis of personal independence. Rousseau acknowledges that the rarify of heroic or anti-heroic strength of soul tempts us to seek less rigorous models of citizenship, but warns of the price to be paid even in these models.