Jean - Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). Due to an unfortunate childhood, he left his Calvinist home in Geneva at the age of 16 and converted to Catholicism. Although he never received a formal education, his knowledge was more than sufficient for him to work in Paris as a private tutor in noble households in 1742. Rousseau became acquainted with Diderot, for whose "Encyclopedia" he wrote articles on music theory. He lived unmarried with Therese Levasseur, with whom he had five children who were raised in an orphanage. As his writings were condemned by the Bishop of Paris and he faced the risk of imprisonment, Rousseau left Paris and lived abroad for several years, settling in Switzerland from 1762 and in England from 1767 to 1770. In his political philosophy, Rousseau advocated for equal rights for all citizens, with democratic governance and social oversight. "People are born good by nature and are corrupted by the prevailing church, poor education, and existing economic conditions. The only way to improve is to be set free." His work "Du contrat social" (1762), which is one of the foundational texts in favor of modern democracy, contains the principles of Rousseau's social theory, where a politically responsible citizen is essential. His educational theory similarly influenced subsequent developments. Rousseau composed symphonic music and wrote novels that influenced the literature of his time. He is considered to have paved the way for the French Revolution with his philosophical work.