Essay from the year 2024 in the subject Philosophy - Philosophy of the 17th and 18th Centuries, , language: English, abstract: This paper explores Rousseau's critique of Enlightenment ideals, his warnings against inequality and self-interest in society, and his influence as a precursor to the Romantic movement. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a prominent philosopher of the French Enlightenment, stood in contrast to many of his contemporaries by rejecting key aspects of the Enlightenment's rationalism and belief in progress. While philosophers like Voltaire and Diderot celebrated the advancements of modern science and its potential to improve society, Rousseau argued that these very developments contributed to moral decline. In works like "A Discourse on the Moral Effects of the Arts and Sciences" and "Discourse on Inequality", Rousseau contended that true virtue and happiness were rooted in humanity's natural state, which had been corrupted by modern civilization.