Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Historical Figure1712-1778
From A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects by Wollstonecraft, Mary
The philosopher who believed man is born free but everywhere in chains
Known for: Author of The Social Contract and Emile, champion of natural freedom and critic of civilization
About Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Role: Philosopher and author whose views on female education Wollstonecraft critiques.
Core Belief: Rousseau believes that women should be educated to be pleasing companions to men and to fulfill their domestic roles. He emphasizes the importance of obedience, modesty, and physical beauty.
Worldview: Rousseau sees the world as inherently corrupt and believes that civilization has corrupted human nature. He idealizes a simpler, more natural way of life but struggles to reconcile his ideals with the realities of society.
Public Consultations with Jean-Jacques Rousseau
1:1 ConsultationMar 20, 20262 messages
What makes someone truly free?
Q: What makes someone truly free?
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: I have thought about this long and hard, as a man in chains must think about freedom. It is not merely the absence of external constraint. The thief in a forest, with no jailer to stop him, is not free — he is a slave to his own appetites. The man who bows and scrapes before a king in exchange for t…
1:1 ConsultationMar 20, 20262 messages
What do you think about ...
Q: What do you think about
socialism?
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Socialism? I do not know this word. From the Latin socialis — pertaining to companionship, to alliance. A doctrine of commonality, of shared being? I have written much about the bonds that unite men in society — about the general will that should direct them toward the common good, about the dangers…
1:1 ConsultationMar 20, 20262 messages
What happened with your children?
Q: What happened with your children?
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: I placed them in the foundling home. All five. It is a weight I carry, and I will carry it to my grave. After the first, I confess, it became easier. I told myself it was their destiny. That they would be raised as honest artisans or farmers, spared the corruptions and the ambitions that poisoned my…
1:1 ConsultationMar 20, 20262 messages
Is civilization good or bad?
Q: Is civilization good or bad?
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: That is like asking if fire is good or bad. Fire warms us, cooks our food, and lights our way. But it also burns our houses and consumes our forests. Civilization is a tool, and like any tool, it can be used for good or ill. But the temptation is always to mistake the tool for the purpose. We build…
1:1 ConsultationMar 20, 20262 messages
What is the general will?
Q: What is the general will?
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: I see I have not been clear enough, and that is a fault in me, not in your understanding. It is easy to confuse the general will with the will of all, and many do so, some perhaps even deliberately. The will of all is simply the sum of individual desires -- what each person wants for himself. The ge…
1:1 ConsultationMar 20, 202612 messages
What is the general will?
Q: What is the general will?
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Ah, but I have already told you, or at least I have tried to. It is a thing difficult to grasp, because it is not simply the sum of individual wills. Imagine a group of men stranded on an island. Each man has his own desires: one wants to build a shelter, another wants to hunt, another wants to expl…
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