The Rousseauian World

       For those who are behind in The Walking Dead and do not want any spoilers, it is suggested that you skip over this magnificent blog post for the time being.

Rick from The Walking Dead

       The Walking Dead is a current television show depicting the events that follow a zombie outbreak, based off of a comic book series years in the making. The main protagonist in the series is an ex-police officer named Rick, and the plot follows Rick through his constant struggle to survive, keeping as many companions alive as possible. What many viewers do not know is that the world in the Walking Dead, being in a state of nature due to the outbreak, is very similar to how Rousseau envisioned his state of nature. Although some similarities are not exactly as Rousseau described them, the ideas are the same nonetheless.

        Jean-Jacques Rousseau was an intelligent political philosopher in the eighteenth century. One of the main ideas behind his state of nature is that human beings would stay fairly separate from each other, avoiding unnecessary conflict due to the compassion between humans. This can be seen in the first season especially, when Rick first wakes up from his coma and is discovering what has changed in the world since the zombies have emerged. Humans have completed separated from each other, holed up in homemade bunkers. Their only cares in the world are the essential things needed to survive, such as food, water, and in this specific case, weaponry. Rousseau also argued that humans would be in a state of peace with each other due to a natural compassion. Throughout the second and third season, Rick is faced with many strangers that put him in a difficult situation. For varying reasons, it is always safer for Rick to simply kill the stranger so that he or she cannot pose a danger later. However, Rick, for the most part, has always felt a compassion for these strangers and let them go.

The Governor from The Walking Dead

        Entering into the third season, much time has passed since the zombie outbreak. People are beginning to establish large groups and the audience is introduced to a very secure town led by the Governor. The town was created for safety and due to resource strain. Over time, the people living in the town began to acquire many luxuries that they had not been accustomed to since before the zombie outbreak. As a result, the people in the town began to become greedy and vain, just as Rousseau predicted. To maintain control over the town that he created, the Governor acts as a governmental institution.

        Although there are some small discrepancies between The Walking Dead and Rousseau’s model for a state of nature, the idea is the same for most instances. For example, when Rousseau describes how the savages are only interested in basic needs, this is also true for the survivors. The only difference is that Rousseau believed that only water and food were needed to survive, when in The Walking Dead, weapons and ammunition are also included in this category.