Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Born in Geneva in 1712, Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a philosopher, writer, and composer whose ideas helped shape the Enlightenment and influenced the French Revolution, modern political thought, and Romanticism.

His best-known works include Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, The Social Contract, Émile, or On Education, and the novel Julie, or the New Heloise. Across these books, he explored popular sovereignty, education, inequality, individual freedom, and the tension between nature and society.

Rousseau also wrote the autobiographical Confessions, an influential work that helped establish the modern tradition of personal memoir. He died in Ermenonville, France, in 1778.