|
||
Name:
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Dates:
Born: June 28, 1712 in Geneva, Switzerland
Died: July 2, 1778
Biography:
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a French philosopher who became an important figure
in the development of romanticism in France, particularly with regards to politics and philosophy.
According to Rousseau, politics is based not on some fictional social contract, but instead upon
the general will of people in a community. Legitimate sovereignty is derived from everyone's
submission to that general will, and while such obedience may not be in everyone's personal
interests, it is indeed what they really want, even if they don't realize it.
Although Rousseau is most widely known as a moral philosopher, his book Emile, ou Traitâ de l'Education (1762) is one of the first works which can be classified as part of the field of developmental psychology. In it, Rousseau describes childhood as a being series of naturally occurring stages. In addition, the role of parents and education is explained as being to aid the emergence of natural growth.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
Biographies of Philosophers
This index of biographical index of famous philosophers throughout history includes many others who have contributed to our understanding of human nature and life - including sociologists, psychologists, scientists, and more.What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? Is there any point in studying philosophy, or is it a useless subject? What are the different branches of philosophy - what's the difference between aestheitcs and ethics? What's the difference between metaphysics and epistemology?
