J.J. Rousseau

The enlightenment was a period of constant questioning of society and government. The people often questioning these concepts were deemed philosophers and had an impact on how the public seen everyday life and lived their life. Philosopher’s views were shaped by the time period in which they lived through, events that had affected them in that time period and often times the class of family they belonged to. One popular philosopher of the enlightenment period was JJ Rousseau, whose views changed the way people saw society and their ways of live.

Rousseau’s views and primary beliefs were formed by being brought up in a poor family. Rousseau was born June 28, 1712 in Geneva, Switzerland. Although they were considered a poor family, they were still allowed to vote in Geneva, a freedom given only to middle class families and greater. Rousseau later moved to Paris in his early adult years. At this time, Paris was the philosophy/enlightenment capital of Western Europe. Philosophers that pursued further self-enlightenment and new inspirations for new views and concepts, typically ended up in Paris. Rousseau benefitted from moving to Paris by gaining an extended social view, rather than judging just what occurred in Geneva. Therefore, Rousseau’s overall experiences and background can be related to his interpretations of people in general.

Rousseau projected his sight of humans as being corrupted by society into being greedy, selfish, and ignorant. This mind set for Rousseau is understandable because of his past, his background and the society he is living in. Although he never lived through the glorious revolution, he still seen the poverty endured by some (such as his own family), the greed and corruption of those in power, and the constant abuse of power and authority. Rousseau also had the advantage of seeing the good in people. He got to witness goodness in some citizens not corrupted as much by authority and power, he seen the way some used their riches and power for the good of society, and other philosophers making a difference through spreading their views and concepts. He continually blamed society and government for making human beings more savage and primitive than normal.

            The government’s decisions and the way they governed within their people had a large impact on Rousseau’s views. He constantly stated that, what he knew as current political system was full of corruption, instability, and political figures seeking personal gain. This brought him to design the Social Contract. Social contract argued against monarchs who believed they divine right to rule made it acceptable for them to rule the legislation, as well as other corruptive power sources. These arguments lead to political reform and an establishment of a political community to face commercial society.

            The views conceived by JJ Rousseau were accurate representations of how civilization operated and how corrupted society can be. Most of these views still apply to modern society, civilization, governmental decisions.