The Philosophy of Rousseau

by Ronald Grimsley

This book concentrates on the exposition of Rousseau's principal ideas, dealing first with his criticism of society in the two *Discourses* and the *Letter to d'Alembert*, and then with his constructive attempts in *Émile* to analyze the essential features of human nature as they are revealed through the psychological and moral development of the individual. There follows an account of Rousseau's ideas on religion, political philosophy, and art (with special emphasis on the *Profession of Faith of the Savoyard Priest* and the *Social Contract*); and a final section indicates the main philosophical aspects of the *Confessions* and the other personal writings.