The God I worship is not a God of darkness; he did not give me reason in order to forbid me its use. To demand that I take my reason captive is to insult its Creator.

— Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), Philosoph

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Der in Genf geborene Philosoph, Schriftsteller und Staatstheoretiker Jean-Jacques Rousseau wirkte im 18. Jahrhundert vor allem in Frankreich und prägte maßgeblich die europäische Aufklärung. Bekannt wurde er durch Werke wie „Vom Gesellschaftsvertrag“ und „Émile“ sowie durch seine These, dass der Mensch von Natur aus gut sei und erst durch gesellschaftliche Institutionen entfremdet werde. Für Bibelleser bildet sein Menschenbild eine klassische Gegenposition zum biblischen Verständnis von Sünde und Erlösungsbedürftigkeit, während der Bruch zwischen seinen pädagogischen Idealen und der Abgabe seiner eigenen Kinder ins Findelhaus bis heute kritisch diskutiert wird.

All quotes by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (16)

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