Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was born in Geneva, Switzerland, and lost his mother at birth, a trauma that shadows his entire autobiography. Raised haphazardly by his father, a watchmaker, and then by relatives, he left Geneva at sixteen and spent years wandering before settling in Paris, where he became a central, if contentious, figure of the French Enlightenment. His major philosophical works, including the Discourse on Inequality, The Social Contract, and Emile, articulated ideas about natural goodness, popular sovereignty, and education that profoundly influenced the French Revolution and modern political thought. His personal life was marked by turbulent relationships, paranoia, and self-imposed exile. This author hub collects 1 work in the Canon Compass ranking, led by The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.