Rousseau Essay

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a philosopher that helped develop concepts such as general will, and improved on the early norms on child-raising. Born in Geneva, he was a “citizen” of the city. “Citizens” were the two hundred members of the Grand Council of Geneva, which made most of the political decisions in state. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was an important part of the Enlightenment. He led an interesting life, as told by his three memoirs, had a solid philosophy, did not believe in reason, and left a lasting legacy that still affects us today.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in 1712 in Geneva, Switzerland. His parents, Isaac and Suzanne Rousseau, were watchmakers. Rousseau inherited the duty of being a “citizen” from his father. He was very proud of this position, and often signed his name in his books “Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Citizen of Geneva”. Geneva was a Calvinist state ruled by John Calvin’s ideas of Protestantism. His mother died nine days after his birth, and his father was exiled after getting into an argument with an aristocrat. He wrote in memoir “Confessions”, “...my birth cost my mother her life, and was the first of my misfortunes.” He was sent to live with a pastor, who soon sent him away to become an apprentice of an engraver. He was not skilled at it, and soon became unhappy. With the help of Madame de Warens, a Roman Catholic converter, he ran away to Turin, Italy in 1728. He converted to Catholicism the same year. Madame de Warens helped to educate him, and found Rousseau multiple jobs. In the course of this time, he became a traveling musician, music copyist, teacher, and trained to be a Catholic priest. He also worked as a servant in a noble household. During this time, the mistress of the household, Madame de V...

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... Rousseau concluded that

Jean-Jacques Rousseau left behind a legacy with all of his works that is still noted today. One of the many people Rousseau influenced is Immanuel Kant. It was said that the only piece of art Kant had in his home was a portrait of Rousseau; the only time he missed his morning walks was when he was reading Emilie. This influence shows in one of Kant’s writings where he describes the correct way to see the universe is from the outside, realizing that all people have a common core. This is similar to Rousseau’s idea of general will, where citizens must see what is truly good by looking from the “outside”, and everyone has a common goodness. Rousseau also can be credited with having some influence on communism and socialism. A leader of the French Revolution, Maximilien Robespierre, was very influenced by Rousseau’s work. Maximilien’s