Books by Arthur M. Melzer

Arthur M. Melzer makes this experiment in The Natural Goodness Of Man. The first two parts of the book restore the original, revolutionary significance of this now time-worn principle and examine the arguments Rousseau offers in proof of it. The final section unfolds and explains Rousseau's programmatic thought, especially the Social Contract, as a precise solution to the human problem as redefined by the principle of Natural Goodness.

Philosophical esotericism - the practice of communicating one's unorthodox thoughts "between the lines" - was a common practice until the end of the eighteenth century. The author serves as our deeply knowledgeable guide in this capacious and engaging history of philosophical esotericism.