Maurice William Cranston Bücher

„Welches ist der Ursprung der Ungleichheit unter den Menschen und ist sie durch das Naturgesetz gerechtfertigt?“ lautete die Preisfrage der Akademie von Dijon, die Rousseau in seinem „zweiten Discours“ zu beantworten suchte. Darin entwickelt er seine Zivilisationskritik, mit der er Philosophiegeschichte geschrieben hat. Willensfreiheit und Perfektibilität zeichnen den Menschen aus. Der Wilde ist nach Rousseau nicht böse und aggressiv, sondern gut und friedfertig. Erst die Errungenschaften der Zivilisation, z. B. Eigentum und Gesetze, bedingen die Ungleichheit der Menschen und führen ihren Niedergang herbei.

In this third and final volume of his masterly biography, Maurice Cranston traces the last tempestuous years of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's life. From his brilliant authorship of the Confessions , the Dialogues , and the Reveries to his controversial religious views, from his notorious public quarrel with David Hume in England to his clandestine return to France, from his unsettled wanderings to his death in 1778: these and other critical events in Rousseau's most embattled years are detailed in this sympathetic yet balanced portrait. In 1762, with the condemnation of Émile and The Social Contract , harried by both church and state, Rousseau fled Paris, seeking refuge in Neuchâtel and England. Deemed a social outcast and beset by not wholly unwarranted feelings of persecution and abuse, the philosopher turned in despair to the production of autobiographical works intended to reveal his essential innocence and integrity. Through this bitter introspection, Rousseau transformed his solitude into some of the most enduring literature of his time. " The Solitary Self is a fitting coda to a magisterial work. Cranston…is a compelling stylist who narrates Rousseau's tribulations with a mixture of compassion and dry humor." — Thomas Pavel, Wall Street Journal "Cranston not only recreates for his readers a rounded view of Rousseau himself, he sets it firmly in the social and political context of Europe's ancien regime …An engrossing work of history." — John Gray, New Statesman "A monument of scholarship…This amazing biography, like Boswell's account of Johnson, recreates the daily life of Rousseau: what he did, who he saw, what he said, what he wrote.…We may be quite confident that we hold in our hands the authoritative account of this life. The definitive Rousseau." — Isaac Kramnick, The New Republic

In the first volume of his trilogy, political philosopher Maurice Cranston utilizes original manuscript sources to chronicle Rousseau's life, from his humble beginnings in Geneva to his emergence as a renowned writer and composer by 1754. This biography is praised for its meticulous, calm, and reasonable approach, contrasting with Rousseau's passionate and tumultuous nature. Critics have described it as the definitive biography, combining scholarly rigor with engaging storytelling. Cranston's insights into Rousseau's early life are presented with a freshness that captivates readers, enriching their understanding of both the physical and intellectual landscapes of his formative years. The narrative is crafted with such poise that it renders Rousseau's early experiences as compelling as a picaresque novel, showcasing Cranston's fidelity to Rousseau's ideas and lived experiences. This work is considered a hallmark of Cranston's distinguished career, reflecting his expertise as a scholar and biographer. Maurice Cranston (1920-1993), a notable figure in political science, was a professor at the London School of Economics and received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his biography of John Locke, among other notable works.