Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Genevan philosopher, writer and composer (1712–1778); wrote The Social Contract and Discourse on Inequality.
At a glance
Main ideas
Property founded civil society, Natural goodness, Perfectibility …
See all 5Books to start with
Discourse on the Arts and Sciences, Discourse on Inequality, Julie, or the New Heloise …
See all 6Connections
David Hume and Discourse on Inequality
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Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Rousseau was a Genevan philosophe, writer and composer.
- His political philosophy was influential in the Enlightenment and the French Revolution.
- He argued that private property is the source of social inequality, and set out what makes a political order legitimate.
- He also wrote the novel Julie, the treatise Émile on education, and the autobiographical Confessions.
Why it matters
- His ideas of the general will, popular sovereignty and the corruption of natural goodness by society shaped modern political thought and the French Revolution.
Key facts
- Born
- 28 Jun 1712, Republic of Geneva1
- Died
- 2 Jul 1778, Ermenonville, of a stroke1
- Signed his books
- "Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Citizen of Geneva"1
- First fame
- His Discourse on the Arts and Sciences (1750) won the Académie de Dijon's prize1
- Music
- Wrote words and music of the opera Le devin du village, performed for Louis XV in 1752; refused the king's pension1
- Burial
- Île des Peupliers, Ermenonville; moved to the Panthéon on 11 October 17941
Main ideas
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Property founded civil society1
"The first man who, having fenced in a piece of land, said 'This is mine'" founded civil society.
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Natural goodness1
People in the state of nature have self-love and pity; vanity (amour-propre) comes with society.
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Perfectibility1
Humans can change their nature through choice, for better or worse.
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The general will1
Obeying a law the people make together lets people stay free in civil society.
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Sovereignty is not representable1
Sovereignty belongs to the people, and he opposed exercising it through a representative assembly.
Books to start with
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Discourse on the Arts and Sciences1
The prize essay that made him famous.
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Private property as the origin of inequality.
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Julie, or the New Heloise1
A sentimental epistolary novel.
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Emile, or On Education1
A treatise on the individual in society and on education.
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The Social Contract1
The basis for a legitimate political order.
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Confessions1
Autobiography, completed in 1770 and published in 1782.
Connections
Links
Sources
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