-

Jean Jacques Rousseau was born at Geneva on June 28th, 1712, the son of a watchmaker. From 1738 to 1740 Rousseau acted as tutor to the children of a M. Mably, and while occupying this post he made the acquaintance of Condillac. In 1745 he met Voltaire for the first time, and in 1749 Diderot invited him to write the articles on music for the
Encyclopaedia.
His" Discourse on the Origin and Foundation of Inequality among Men" was published in 1758. Rousseau's article on political economy was printed 111 the Encyclopaedia. He said that the legislator's first duty is to make the laws conform to the general will and that it is needful only to act justly to lie certain of following the general will (volonte generale). According to Rousseau, the more general will is also the most just.The general will is always the will of Nature.A distinction is drawn dy Rousseau between sovreignity and government. The governmnt's



function is executive and administrative, that is, to administer the Law. The first duty of the legislator is to make the laws conformable to the general will. The general will is always on the side which is most favourable to the public interest, that is to say, most equitable. The general will of political society is a particular canalization of the universal orientation of the human will to the good.
For Rousseau, the government is simply an executive
power which is dependent for its power on the assembley. Rousseau found the solution in centralized governmet. There is not a pure contradiction between the "Discourse on the Arts and sciences and the" Social contract"
In the "Social contract" Rousseau speaks of political society as it ought to be. Rousseau's discussion if the general will is closely connected with the problem if freedom. He wished to justify the transition from the hypothetical state of nature to the that of organized political society. The man is naturally free and that freedom is an inestimable value. Applying this distinction to the politic we must distinguish
between the legislative power or government. Rousseau is speaking in "Social Contract" of democracy in the literal sense. According to him the general principles may be stated as follows: God is good, nature is good, man is also good.

Phases of these spirits were on Herder, Schiller and kant, and in England on Godwin and Wordsworth. In France its powerful expression is to be found in the enthusiasm of the revolution. Rousseau's influence on Herder was largely responsible for translating Romanticism to Germany. David Hume, who respected Rousseau's genius, invited him to England, but he returned to France, where he lived for a time in disguise.