Difference between revisions of "Jean Jacques Rousseau"
m (Reverted edits by Kjfhkdhfjkdhfk (Talk); changed back to last version by Learn together) |
RodWeathers (talk | contribs) (Removed the inane "Many Americans today would agree with that view." Expanded.) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[Image:T768.jpg|right|thumb|Jean Jacques Rousseau]] | [[Image:T768.jpg|right|thumb|Jean Jacques Rousseau]] | ||
| − | Swiss-born political [[philosopher]] '''Jean Jacques Rousseau''' (1712-1778) | + | Swiss-born political [[philosopher]] '''Jean Jacques Rousseau''' (1712-1778) was an influential French essayist and prominent [[liberal]] and [[socialist]] social theorist. He felt that [[politics]] and [[morality]] could not be separated, and that the will of the majority was not always correct. However, Rousseau also attacked [[private property]], and laid the groundwork for future [[communist]] writers such as [[Karl Marx]]. Rousseau declared that government's goal should be to provide freedom, equality and justice. But note that freedom often results in inequality. |
| − | Rousseau's most famous work was the "The Social Contract" (1762), which supported a direct [[democracy]] rather than | + | Rousseau's most famous work was the "The Social Contract" (1762), which supported a direct [[democracy]] based on a "public will" rather than republican forms of government such as that adopted 25 years later by the [[U.S. Constitution]]. In it, he further develops the concept of the "[[social contract]]" established by [[Thomas Hobbes]] and [[John Locke]]. Rousseau disapproved of titles like nobility, and demanded complete equality between all people. |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rousseau, Jean Jacques}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Rousseau, Jean Jacques}} | ||
[[Category:Philosophers]] | [[Category:Philosophers]] | ||
Revision as of 22:55, September 25, 2008
Swiss-born political philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was an influential French essayist and prominent liberal and socialist social theorist. He felt that politics and morality could not be separated, and that the will of the majority was not always correct. However, Rousseau also attacked private property, and laid the groundwork for future communist writers such as Karl Marx. Rousseau declared that government's goal should be to provide freedom, equality and justice. But note that freedom often results in inequality.
Rousseau's most famous work was the "The Social Contract" (1762), which supported a direct democracy based on a "public will" rather than republican forms of government such as that adopted 25 years later by the U.S. Constitution. In it, he further develops the concept of the "social contract" established by Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Rousseau disapproved of titles like nobility, and demanded complete equality between all people.