Rousseau believes that there are two natural feelings in human goodness, namely self-love and compassion. Self-love is a primitive, inherent and naturally occurring desire. In order to survive, it comes before everything else. Compassion can expand people's self-love to love others and mankind, and produce a kind and tolerant humanistic spirit. He put forward the kindness and rationality of self-love and compassion, which has the enlightenment function of anti-asceticism and also provides a theoretical basis for education to obey nature.

He particularly emphasized the important role of "conscience" in being kind to others. Rousseau sincerely believes that conscience is a "sacred instinct, the voice of an eternal kingdom", and the core content of conscience is "self-love" and "love". This kindness is reflected in people's love for their compatriots, their universal hope for the happiness of others, their willingness to enjoy their own happiness with others, their sympathy and pity for those who suffer, their protection for the oppressed, and their anger at unfair violence.