Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau is a seminal work that delves into the fundamental principles of political right and social organization. This thought-provoking book starts with the powerful declaration, "Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains," setting the stage for an exploration of the tension between individual liberty and societal obligations. In an era marked by...

46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. The Body Politic explores the provocative statement: No true Democracy has ever existed, nor ever will exist.

Rousseau's autobiography provides a unique insight into the mind and life of one of the greatest thinkers of the Enlightenment. Widely regarded as the first modern autobiography, The Confessions is an astonishing work of acute psychological insight. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) argued passionately against the inequality he believed to be intrinsic to civilised society. In his Confessions, he relives the first...

In this text, Rousseau demonstrates how the growth of civilisation corrupts man's natural happiness and freedom due to the artificial inequalities of wealth and social privilege. Contending that primitive man was equal to civilised man, he believed that as societies become more sophisticated, the strongest and most intelligent members gained an unnatural advantage over the weaker. He also argued that...

Rousseau's final work and meditation After a period of forced exile and solitary wandering brought about by his radical views on religion and politics, Jean-Jacques Rousseau returned to Paris in 1770. Here, in the last two years of his life, he wrote his final work, the Reveries. In this eloquent masterpiece, the great political thinker describes his sense of isolation...

The Norton Library edition of Rousseau's Discourse on the Origin of Inequality features an inviting and readable translation by Julia Conaway Bondanella that makes the text accessible to the modern English reader while faithfully preserving the power and clarity of Rousseau's voice and style of argumentation. A thorough introduction by Frederick Neuhouser—"one of the most brilliant philosophical readers of Rousseau...

Since its first publication in 1762, Of the Social Contract has shaped political thinking. Viewed by some as a revolutionary statement of democratic freedoms and by others as a precursor of tyranny, it has guided and inspired activists from the. 'Man was born free, and everywhere he is in chains.' These are the famous opening words of a treatise that...

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's ideas about society, culture, and government are pivotal in the history of political thought. His works are as controversial as they are relevant today. This volume brings together three of Rousseau's most important political writings: The Social Contract and The First Discourse (Discourse on the Sciences and Arts) and The Second Discourse (Discourse on the Origin and Foundations...

Individualist and communitarian. Anarchist and totalitarian. Classicist and romanticist. Progressive and reactionary. Since the eighteenth century, Jean-Jacques Rousseau has been said to be all of these things. Few philosophers have been the subject of as much or as intense debate, yet almost everyone agrees that Rousseau is among the most important and influential thinkers in the history of political philosophy....

This new edition features a revision by Donald A. Cress of his bestselling 1987 translation of On the Social Contract, together with an introduction, footnotes, and chronology by David Wootton, one of our leading historians of the Enlightenment.

Discourse on Political Economy and The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau offers a profound exploration of human society and governance. Rousseau delves into the intricate dynamics of political thought and the essence of collective agreement through his seminal works. The Discourse on Political Economy provides insights into the role of government in protecting liberty and exploring economic structures within society....

First published posthumously in 1782 from an unfinished manuscript, The Reveries of the Solitary Walker continues Rousseau's exploration of the soul in the form of a final meditation on self-understanding and isolation. This accurate and graceful translation by Charles Butterworth—the only English version based on Rousseau's original text—is accompanied by an interpretive essay, extensive notes, and a comprehensive index.

This substantially revised new edition of Rousseau: The Basic Political Writings features a brilliant new introduction by David Wootton. It includes a revision by Donald A. Cress of his own 1987 translation of Rousseau's most important political writings, as well as the addition of Cress' new translation of Rousseau's State of War. New footnotes, headnotes, and a chronology by David...