hwafactor.blogg.se

Rousseau's thought stemmed from his notion of human nature. One question occupied his thoughts more than any other - How can humans live freely within society? Convinced of conspiracies against him he travelled around Europe, finally settling outside Paris where he died in isolation at the age of 66.Īlthough a product of his time, Rousseau made many key contributions to the theory and practice of modern politics. Building on this he wrote "The Social Contract" and "Émile."īoth works were scorned by officials and intellectuals alike, and were publicly burned in Paris and Geneva. He published his first major political work, the "Discourse on Inequality," in 1755. Rousseau was propelled from obscurity in 1749 when he won an essay writing competition, arguing that the progress of knowledge and culture lead to the corruption of human behaviour. Orphaned at an early age, Rousseau spent many years as an itinerant, living in the homes of different employers, patrons and lovers, working variously as a clerk, an engraver and a private tutor. Not only did he dedicate his second "Discourse" to the Swiss lakeside city, but he also took every opportunity to sign his works "Citizen of Geneva."Įven so, his relationship with his birthplace was not straightforward. Geneva, which offered shelter to thousands of persecuted Huguenots from the 16th Century onwards, left a deep impression on him. Rousseau was born to a family of French Protestant refugees on June 28, 1712.

But today, as we commemorate the 300th anniversary of his birth, is his thinking still relevant? And what can it teach us about the work of the UN refugee agency, which has its headquarters in Geneva.

GENEVA, June 28 (UNHCR) - "Man is born free but everywhere is in chains." This quote made the Geneva-born political philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, world famous.