2013/01/28 by Matthew Simpson · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Rousseau and Enlightenment Thought #Political Theory and Influence #European Political History Analysis
paper · doi:10.1002/9781444367072.wbiee553
openalex publication_date 2013/01/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/14
Abstract Alone among modern European thinkers, Rousseau (1712–78) was both a great moralist and a significant moral philosopher. As a moralist, he developed an original vision of human nature and human fulfillment along with an analysis of the forces hindering people from achieving happiness in the modern world; as a moral philosopher, he presented a theory of right action and the grounds of moral obligation that has shaped centuries of debate about rights, duties, and authority. Both aspects of his ethical thought have provoked widely divergent interpretations and they remain controversial, both as to their meaning and the soundness of their argumentation. Born in Geneva but living most of his adult life in France, Rousseau identified the decay beneath the glittering facade both of the ancien régime and of the intellectual culture of the Enlightenment. In the end, he was persecuted by both camps and was inspired to create, as one scholar put it, “a dazzling one‐man alternative Enlightenment” (Hulliung 1994: 4). His works remain notable for their originality, depth, influence, and style.