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Jean Rousseau


            Jean-Jacques Rousseau was an influential French political philosopher and educationist in the Enlightenment time. Rousseau's profound insight can be found in almost every part of modern philosophy today.
             Born in a poor family in countryside, Rousseau had no formal education. His mother died after his birth; his father and his aunt raised him. His father taught him to read and write. When he was 13, he began to trade and went to travel after 3 years. After several years of wandering, he met Madame Louise de Warens - a wealthy, charitable woman. With her help, he was sent to a hospice institution in Turin. At that time he educated himself; he tried many different jobs, but was mostly unsuccessful. He took a trip to Paris, but he returned on foot. Soon he became the secretary and lover of Madame Louise de Warens. In his free time, he learned much philosophy. (Michele).
             Rousseau left Madame de Warens in 1740 and worked as a clerk or tutor. In 1742 he went to Paris, he worked as a music teacher, music copyist, and political secretary. He soon became a friend of Denis Diderot, the French philosopher who commissioned him to write articles on music for the French Encyclopedia. With help of some wealthy women, He became the personal secretary to the French ambassador to Venice. However, he went back to china because he could not get along well with his boss. (Michele).
             In 1745, Rousseau met Thérese Lavasseur, a chambermaid who worked in a hotel where he stayed. Some people made fun of her. Led by Rousseau's defense of her, they became friends. Thérese born five children of him, but all of them were sent to a foundling home because Rousseau didn't want to and could not take his responsibility; he also said that the children would get a better upbringing in such an institution than he could offer. Rousseau sought after to justify his actions did concern the children.
             In 1750 he essay Discours sur les sciences et les arts" (Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts) won the first prize in a competition held by the Academy of Dijon.


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