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One of the most profound thinkers of modern history, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) was a central figure of the European Enlightenment. He was also its most formidable critic, condemning the political, economic, theological, and sexual trappings of civilization along lines that would excite the enthusiasm of romantic individualists and radical revolutionaries alike. In this study of Rousseau's life and works Robert Wokler shows how his philosophy of history, his theories of music and politics, his fiction, educational and religious writings, and even his botany, were all inspired by visionary ideals of mankind's self-realization in a condition of unfettered freedom. He explains how, in regressing to classical republicanism, ancient mythology, direct communion with God, and solitude, Rousseau anticipated some post-modernist rejections of the Enlightenment as well.
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"These essays--small masterpieces of analysis, exposition, and integration, combining vast learning with an intuitive grasp of what is central in the thought of individual thinkers and epochs--testify to the unifying passion, intellectual versatility, and lasting contributions of both their author, and his subjects. This scrupulously prepared, wide-ranging collection makes invaluable contributions to political theory and cultural and intellectual history. It also presents readers of all backgrounds with an education, and a feast."--Joshua L. Cherniss, Harvard University
"Blending a historian's sensitivity to context with a theorist's instinct for issues of paramount political salience, Robert Wokler's contribution to our understanding of Rousseau and his age was profound. This collection of his essays offers at once an indispensible guide to the Enlightenment and its legacy, as well as a glimpse into the mind and practice of a deeply humane scholar for whom the Enlightenment's ideals remained a living reality."--Ryan Patrick Hanley, Marquette University
"Filled with insight, humor, sensitive readings, and brilliant analyses, this amazing collection of humane and scholarly essays shows just how much we owe to the Enlightenment--and to Robert Wokler."--Janet Coleman, professor emeritus, London School of Economics and Political Science
"Wokler wrote prose that could serve as the vehicle for his formidable erudition, but which was always set out with elegance and a surprising lightness of touch. He could bring to life not only the arguments of his eighteenth-century philosophers, but also those of the twentieth-century commentators with whom he engaged; and his writing was always quietly but thoroughly infused with that unusual variety of political commitment, the kind that contributes to, rather than gets in the way of, excellence in scholarship. Both Wokler's Enlightenment and Wokler himself were cosmopolitan and humanitarian to their core."--from the introduction by Christopher Brooke
"Robert Wokler's essays display the erudition of a man who was one of the finest scholars of his generation and one of the best interpreters of Rousseau and the Enlightenment. Moreover, each of these essays is written with an elegance and clarity that few could rival. Taken together they display a remarkable range."--Jeremy Jennings, Queen Mary, University of London
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Together with Montesquieu, Hume, Smith, and Kant among his contemporaries, Rousseau has exerted the most profound influence on modern European intellectual history, perhaps even surpassing anyone else of his day. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Together with Montesquieu, Hume, Smith, and Kant among his contemporaries, Rousseau has exerted the most profound influence on modern European intellectual history, perhaps even surpassing anyone else of his day. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Embarking on study again after many years away from education I have come to rely on the Oxford University Press, A Very Short Introduction To... series, as would a man with a broken leg on a pair of crutches. Nobody said philosophy would be easy, and how right they were. Rousseau is right up there as one of the most complex political philosophers of the bunch. His work as a champion of the French Revolution causing many people to have real issues with his work. He was equally lauded and reviled in his own lifetime, and this book gives a real sense of the ambiguities and complexities of the man and his mind. It's not always an easy read, and I found myself having to go back to sections and start again with this book. Having said that, the layout of the book and the thought which has gone into dividing up the material makes that a relatively easy matter. It is difficult to know how much of the difficulty I had with the subject was the author's way of writing, which at times I felt went a little too deep for such an introduction into the subject, and how much of it was the fact that Rousseau's work doesn't really allow for snappy soundbytes and easy to understand diagrams. Nevertheless, as ever, a good place to start if you're struggling with the subject.
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