Rousseau's Counter-Enlightenment

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Graeme Garrard argues that Jean-Jacques Rousseau's role in the emergence of Counter-Enlightenment thought has been overshadowed by his ties to the French Revolution. By examining Rousseau's life and writings from the mid-18th century, Garrard reveals Rousseau's rejection of the Enlightenment's ideals, advocating instead for a "republic of virtue." He critiques the philosophes for their overreliance on reason and their dismissal of the complexities of social life, asserting that a stable social order requires the cultivation of shared sentiments over individual self-interest.