Person

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

1712–1778 · 18th century · Also known as Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan-born philosopher, writer and composer whose works shaped the political thought of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. In The Social Contract (1762) he argued that legitimate government rests on the general will of the people, and in Emile he set out a theory of education. His Confessions and novel Julie influenced the Romantic movement.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Image: Maurice Quentin de La Tour (Life time: 1788) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 4 profiles

SpartaImpactPrince-Bishopric of LiègeImpactKingdom of FranceImpactOld Swiss ConfederacyImpact

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Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jean-jacques-rousseau
MLA
“Jean-Jacques Rousseau.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jean-jacques-rousseau. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Jean-Jacques Rousseau.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jean-jacques-rousseau.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Jean-Jacques Rousseau’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jean-jacques-rousseau (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻