Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) was a leading Genevan philosopher and political theorist and one of the key figures of the Enlightenment.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau is one of the most important and influential thinkers in the history of political philosophy. This edition brings together in one volume, superb new translations of the three works upon which that reputation rests: the "Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts," the "Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men," and "On the Social Contract." Rousseau s political thought rests on the conception of human nature and society developed in the two discourses: that human beings are by nature good and are corrupted in society. With the Social Contract, Rousseau became the first major thinker to argue that democracy is the only legitimate form of government. Rousseau s French is both literary and philosophical, seamlessly combining the lyrical and the technical. John T. Scott, one of the world s pre-eminent Rousseau scholars, has given us with translations that are faithful to the originals while capturing the harmony of Rousseau s prose and conveying an idea of the effect on the reader of reading him in the original. This edition also has a substantial introduction that provides background on Rousseau s life and context for the political writings, as well as some guidance in their interpretation. There also editorial and translation notes to clarify or explain ideas or terms not familiar to most readers. "