Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Book Description Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 Geneva - 1778 Paris), born as the son of an adventurous watchmaker father, is the symbol of the transformation of a poor child belonging to the working class in 18th century Europe into an original thinker who pushes the boundaries of society. From an early age. From then on, under the influence of his creative spirit, he could not adapt to society and order. He left his home at the age of 16 and lived on his own. He did not receive regular education and did not work in a regular job except for very limited periods of time. He managed to educate himself with the knowledge he gained from the books he read and the experiences he had with people he met from all walks of life during his wandering life, and turned to writing in his thirties to offer peace to his stormy soul. However, even writing was not a cure for this rebellious genius, who was fed up with the social structure and relations dominated by corrupt aristocratic behavior and thought patterns in a process leading up to the French Revolution. Rousseau, who discussed and criticized the path taken by the existing culture and founded his doctrine on a healthy and fair understanding of new culture that would suit the natural essence of man and would not destroy this essence, on the contrary, would develop it, was under pressure from religious and political rulers as one of the original philosophers with the most similarities between his thought and life. Even though he was overwhelmed by these pressures and gradually began to lose his sensitive spiritual balance, he did not compromise on his ideas, and especially with the Social Contract, he became the light of the search for freedom, equality and fraternity and the source of inspiration of the French Revolution. He inspired 19th century philosophy, especially the romanticism movement, with his creative thoughts drawing his strength from nature. Emile, who wrote on child education with a revolutionary approach, was of great influence because he identified the importance of childhood in human formation and, in the words of an upper-class woman, "taught mothers to breastfeed their babies." Considered the ancestor of the autobiography style, Confessions is considered one of the main stones on the road to psychoanalysis in terms of investigating the dark aspects of the self. (From the Promotional Bulletin)