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... ” (Rousseau). Others describe Jean Jacques Rousseau as the single most important Enlightenment writer. ... Rousseau helped transform the Western World into a democratic civilization dedicated to the full-filament of the individual. Many experiences of Rousseau’s childhood influenced his latter philosophies and theories on government, civilization, and education; which are clearly evident in his major works- The Discourse on the Arts and Sciences, Social Contract, and Emile.
Jean Jacques Rousseau was born on June 28, 1712 in Geneva, Switzerland. ... His father; Isaac Rousseau, a watchmaker then raised him, until the age of ten. Rousseau and his father shared a passion for romantic novels, which had an important impact on Rousseau’s emotional and imaginative nature. Rousseau enjoyed works by writers such as Plutarch and Michel Euquem de Montaigne. In 1722 Rousseau’s father was forced to flee Geneva to escape imprisonment, leaving Rousseau to be raised by his mother’s brother, and later forced into the home of a Protestant minister. Two years later Rousseau met Madame de Warens who sent him to Turins monastery of the Spirito Santo, where he quickly converted to Catholicism. Rousseau then moved back in with Madame de Warens where, “In her household he spent eight years diverting himself in the enjoyment of nature, the study of music, the reading of the English, German, and French philosophers and chemistry, pursuing the study of mathematics and Latin, and enjoying the playhouse and opera. ... It was 1740 when Rousseau began serious attempts to write, unfortunately he remained unknown and unsuccessful for quite some time.
Rousseau had many strong opinions in regards to the government, to society, and his own political philosophies. “The central concept in Rousseau’s thought is ‘liberty’ and most his works deal with the mechanisms through which humans are forced to give up their liberty. ... In Rousseau’s autobiography, Confessions, Rousseau speaks of his isolation from society, “I should be as fond of society as anyone else, if I was not sure of appearing in it, not only to my own disadvantage, but quite a different person from what I really am.”(Rousseau). Rousseau viewed society as artificial and corrupt, and the progress of knowledge ruined individual liberty.
Approximate Word count = 1795
Approximate Pages = 7.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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