Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Collected Philosophical Works (42 books)

* Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Collected Philosophical Works (42 books)

JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU (1712–1778) was a Genevan-born philosopher, political theorist, novelist, and composer whose ideas became central to the intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment, even as he stood in sharp tension with many of its leading figures. Rousseau challenged prevailing assumptions about reason, progress, and civilization, arguing that modern society, rather than refining human beings, had corrupted their natural goodness. His works profoundly influenced political thought, educational theory, literature, and the emerging ideals that would later animate the French Revolution.

Rousseau first gained wide attention with his DISCOURSE ON THE SCIENCES AND ARTS (1750), in which he controversially claimed that the advancement of arts and sciences had led to moral decline rather than improvement. He deepened this critique in DISCOURSE ON THE ORIGIN AND FOUNDATIONS OF INEQUALITY AMONG MEN (1755), often called the Second Discourse, where he traced social inequality to the development of private property and complex societies. These early works established his distinctive voice: skeptical of progress, attentive to the moral psychology of human beings, and concerned with the social conditions that shape freedom and dependence.

His most influential political work, THE SOCIAL CONTRACT (1762), famously opens with the line, “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” In it, Rousseau develops the concept of the “general will,” arguing that legitimate political authority rests on the collective will of the citizens aiming at the common good. Published the same year, ÉMILE, OR ON EDUCATION (1762), deemed by Rousseau as "the best and most important of all my writings", set out a comprehensive philosophy of education grounded in natural development and experiential learning. The religious section of Émile provoked official condemnation, leading to bans and contributing to Rousseau’s exile.

In addition to his political and educational writings, Rousseau made lasting contributions to literature and autobiography. His epistolary novel JULIE, OR THE NEW HELOISE (1761) was a major commercial success and helped shape the emerging Romantic sensibility. Later, in CONFESSIONS (written 1765–1770; published 1782 and 1789), he pioneered a new form of introspective autobiography, presenting a candid and self-analytical portrait unprecedented in European letters. The unfinished REVERIES OF THE SOLITARY WALKER (1782) exemplifies the late 18th-century "Age of Sensibility", and featured an increased focus on subjectivity and introspection that later characterized modern writing. Across this wide range of works—philosophical, political, pedagogical, fictional, and autobiographical—Rousseau articulated a powerful and enduring vision of human freedom, authenticity, and moral renewal.


The following books are in PDF and/or ePUB format as indicated:

== COLLECTED WRITINGS (UPNE, 1989-2010) ==

* Vol. 1: Judge of Jean-Jacques, Dialogues [ed. Masters & Kelly] (1989) – ePUB / PDF
* Vol. 2: Discourse on the Sciences and Arts [ed. Masters & Kelly] (1992) – PDF
* Vol. 3: Discourse on the Origins of Inequality [ed. Masters & Kelly] (1992) – PDF
* Vol. 4: Social Contract, etc. [ed. Masters & Kelly] (1994) – PDF
* Vol. 5: Confessions, and Correspondence [ed. Kelly et al.] (1995) – ePUB / PDF
* Vol. 6: Julie, or the New Heloise [ed. Stewart & Vaché] (1997) – ePUB / PDF
* Vol. 7: Essay on the Origin of Languages & Writings Related to Music [ed. Scott] (1998) – ePUB / PDF
* Vol. 8: Reveries of the Solitary Walker & Botanical Writings [ed. Kelly] (2000) – PDF
* Vol. 9: Letter to Beaumont & Related Writings [ed. Kelly & Grace] (2001) – ePUB / PDF
* Vol. 10: Letter to d'Alembert and Writings for the Theater [ed. Bloom et al.] (2004) – PDF
* Vol. 11: Plan for Perpetual Peace & Writings on History and Politics [ed. Kelly] (2005) – ePUB / PDF
* Vol. 12: Autobiographical, Scientific, Moral & Literary Writings [ed. Kelly] (2006) – ePUB / PDF

== OTHER EDITIONS ==

* Basic Political Writings [tr. Cress, 2e] (Hackett, 2011) – ePUB
* The Body Politic [tr. Hoare] (Penguin, 2016) – ePUB
* Collected Works (Delphi Classics, 2017) – ePUB
* Confessions [ed. Cohen] (Penguin, 1953) – ePUB
* Confessions [tr. Furbank] (Everymans Library, 1992) – ePUB
* Confessions [tr. Scholar] (Oxford, 2000) – ePUB
* The Creed of a Priest of Savoy [tr. Beattie] (Unger, 1957) – PDF^
* Discourse on Inequality [tr. Cranston] (Penguin, 1984) – ePUB
* Discourse on Political Economy and The Social Contract [tr. Betts] (Oxford, 1999) – ePUB / PDF
* Discourse on Origin of Inequality [tr. Bondanella] (Norton, 2022) – PDF
* Discourse on the Origin of Inequality [tr. Cress] (Hackett, 1992) – ePUB
* Discourse on the Origin of Inequality [tr. Philip] (Oxford, 1994) – ePUB
* Discourses & Other Early Political Writings [tr. Gourevitch, 2e] (Cambridge, 2019) – PDF
* Emile, or On Education [tr. Bloom] (Basic Books, 1979) – PDF
* Emile, or On Education [tr. Foxley] (Open Road, 2020) – ePUB
* Essential Writings [ed. Damrosch] (Modern Library, 2013) – ePUB
* The Government of Poland [tr. Kendall] (Hackett, 1985) – PDF
* Major Political Writings [ed. Scott] (Chicago, 2012) – ePUB
* Of the Social Contract & Other Political Writings [tr. Hoare] (Penguin, 2012) – ePUB
* On the Origin of Language [tr. Moran & Code] (Chicago, 1986) – ePUB
* On the Social Contract [tr. Cress, 2e] (Hackett, 2019) – ePUB
* Political Writings [ed. Ritter & Bondanella] (Norton Critical, 1988) – PDF
* Political Writings [tr. Watkins] (Wisconsin, 1986) – PDF
* Pure Curiosity: Botanical Letters [tr. Ottevanger] (Paddington, 1979) – PDF
* Reveries of the Solitary Walker [tr. Butterworth] ((Hackett, 1992) – PDF
* Reveries of the Solitary Walker [tr. France] (Penguin, 2004) – ePUB
* Reveries of the Solitary Walker [tr. Goulbourne] (Oxford, 2011) – ePUB
* The Social Contract [tr. Cole] (Skyros, 2015) – ePUB
* The Social Contract / First & Second Discourses [ed. Dunn] (Yale, 2002) – PDF
* The Social Contract & Later Political Writings [tr. Gourevitch, 2e] (Cambridge, 2019) – PDF

PDF^ = courtesy of Mohamed5438


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