Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) was one of the leading figures of the French Enlightenment. The author of popular novels such as Emile, or On Education (1762), he achieved immortality with the publication of philosophical treatises such as The Social Contract (1762) and A Discourse on Inequality (1754). His ideas would serve as the bedrock for leaders of both the American and French Revolutions.