Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Swiss-French philosopher whose radical critiques of civilization and inequality, articulated in works including Discourse on Inequality (1755) and The Social Contract (1762), were foundational texts of the Enlightenment and provided intellectual ammunition for the French Revolution. His conception of the "general will" and popular sovereignty reshaped democratic theory, while his autobiographical Confessions and educational novel Émile pioneered the Romantic celebration of nature, feeling, and authentic selfhood. His influence on political philosophy, education, and literature has been immense and enduring.