“Sovereigns always see with pleasure a taste for the arts of amusement and superfluity, which do not result in the exportation of bullion, increase among their subjects. They very well know that, besides nourishing that littleness of mind which is proper to slavery, the increase of artificial wants only binds so many more chains upon the people.”
This influential work delves into the philosophical underpinnings of political authority and governance, examining the relationship between individuals and the state through the lens of a hypothetical social contract. more
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a French philosopher, writer, and composer, considered one of the most important figures of the Enlightenment. His works have had a profound impact on subsequent literature, political, and social theories. more
“In order to be a great writer a person must have a built-in, shockproof crap detector.”
“What we need is progress with an escape hatch.”
“If a caterpillar doesn't know its future has wings, it hardly experiences itself as land-bound.”