Jean-Jacques+Rousseau

Katie Frewin and Kyle St. Aubin Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 - 1778) "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in shackles."

"Reading, solitude, idleness, a soft and sedentary life, intercourse with women and young people, these are perilous paths for a young man, and these lead him constantly into danger." ﻿ ﻿﻿Date of Birth: June 28, 1712  Date ﻿of Death: July 2, 1778 Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva, Switzerland to Isaac Rousseau and Suzanne Bernard. Rousseau's mother died shortly after he was born, so he was raised mainly by his father. When his father got into a fight with a French general, though, his father fled Geneva, leaving Rousseau with his uncle.When Rousseau was thirty, he went to Paris to become a composer and musician. It was there that he met his future wife, Therese Levasseau. Together they would have five children, all of which were given to a Paris orphanage. Throughout his life, Rousseau wrote a series of essays, pamphlets and books. These include //Discourse On the Sciences and Arts, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Discourse on Political Economy, The Social Contract// and //Emile//, among others. After leaving Paris, Rousseau returned in 1770 and worked copying music for a living. He died in Paris eight years later. Rousseau calls young men to learn from his life experiences. Ironically he exemplified all of the actions listed in the above quote throughout his life even though they often got him into trouble. For example, Rousseau was known to be a womanizer and did not support his illegitimate children, or even those conceived in his marriage. This is why he advises not to have sexual relations with women or the young, as it led to a headache when a baby was conceived. Another example is reading, which led to him developing radical philosophies, which eventually got him into trouble with authorities or forced him to flee from persecution.

The historical context is fundamentally the Enlightenment Period. Rousseau lived during a period where monarchs reigned supreme, religious persecution was rife, capital punishment and torture was common place and where men were not considered equal under the law. The small percentage of aristocrats dominated the political arena and contributed very little to benefit society. Commoners were forced to provide money for the rich by paying almost all of the financial burden through taxes. Peasants and the middle class had no say in how the country was run and little or no protection under the law.
 * Context: **

Dispite these things, the ideas of the philosophes, who aimed to improve society and the lives of people, were beginning to take root. For example, in stark contrast to the absolute rule practiced in France by Louis XV (during Rousseau's life), constitutionalism kept the English monarch in check. Newspapers and phamplets were becoming popular, allowing ideas to flow and reach a wide audience. Cafés and salons which invited people to express their opinions and ideas more freely are another example, even if Rousseau disliked them. The American Revolution began at the end of Rousseau's life made it clear that ideas such as those of Locke were becoming a reality. Unfortunately for Rousseau however, he would not live to see the French Revolution, nor the strength of his influence over the ruthless and radical Jacobins.

Rousseau had many roles in the Enlightenment:
 * Role in the Enlightenment: **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">He wrote philosophies and ideas which inspired and influenced events of the French Revolution.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">He also inspired Robespierre and the radical Jacobin party. Many of the Jacobin policies reflected Rousseau's thoughts, ideas, and beliefs from his writings: "The first step towards vice is to shroud innocent actions in mystery, and whoever likes to conceal something sooner or later has reason to conceal it." This quote explains the Jacobin's assault on personal privacy.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">He contributed an article to Diderot's new encyclopedia.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">He fought for the well being of all men through his inspirational writing.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">He sought equality in the eyes of the state and religious freedom: "No true believer could be intolerant or a persecutor. If I were a magistrate and the law carried the death penalty against athiests, I would begin by sending to the stake whoever denounced another."
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">He inspired and influenced other philosophes such as Mme. Roland.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">How does his role / writing reflect the Enlightenment: **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">He resisted and undermined the authority of the state and Church through his writings.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">He believed in the equality of all men and the abolition of slavery.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">He was opposed to capital punishment and torture.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">**Big Idea:** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Jean Jacques Rousseau’s big idea was “general will.” Put simply, general will is a society’s desire for the society’s welfare as a whole. Rousseau believed that individuals in a good, civil society didn’t care as much about their own individual needs as much as the needs of the entire society. For the general will to work well, though, Rousseau felt that a society needed a government to only be temporary, and under constant review from the individuals in the society being governed. He also believed that man, by nature, had few needs and wars were absent between them. He felt that no one man was better than another, viewing all men as equal and equally good.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 140%;">"No man has any natural authority over his fellow men." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">(On The Social Contract, Chapter IV - Slavery, first line)

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">﻿to be used throughout, here for now. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet." (relates to Jacobin persecutions of personal privacy)