Rousseau
Essays

Rousseau on Corruption: Its Causes and Elimination

Locke and Rousseau on the Question of Inequality

Rousseau stated that "Discourse is motto" in his book Discourse on Inequality. Does this quotation guide Rousseau's argument in the Discourse? If so, to what extent?

Locke defends toleration as a political good, arguing for a widespread general acceptance of different religious beliefs. His view of toleration does have some limits, and he states that an individual is in the state of…

This essay examines Rousseau's theory of the social contract, and particularly the idea of the general will. Rousseau's theory of the general will is problematic for many readers, because at first glance it appears counterintuitive and actually somewhat cruel. However, when considered in light of Rousseau's emphasis on debate and reason, it becomes clear that the general will, far from being restricting, actually serves to allow the individual the most freedom possible.

The Enlightenment refers to the period in European history when writing and thought were characterized by an emphasis on experience and reason. This showed that there was a mistrust of religion and traditional…

The influence of humanity and reason in the works of Mary Wollstonecraft and Jean Jacques Rousseau on education and women

The notion of the social contract -- the concept that human society is fundamentally a human construct -- originated in seventeenth-century European thought and was developed throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth…

Rousseau: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

Revolution in Rousseau and Burke: How Different Truly Were Their Views?