Jean Jacques RousseauAlthough best known for his work in philosophy, Jean Jacques Rousseau contributed to many other areas during his lifetime. Not only did he draw on contemporary moral, political and educational thought, but he also developed the themes of musical composition and writing. His ideas and accomplishments preceded many historical and modern thinkers, who use such ideas to continue to improve and expand the fields of education, philosophy, government, and music today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Rousseau's most obvious influence was on later philosophers and political theorists; many of his ideas clearly have parallels in their works. For example, in Rousseau's book The Social Contract he talks about the general will; that is, the will and interests of the public as a whole. Immanuel Kant, another 18th century philosopher, later echoed this concept in his work Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, with the categorical imperative (Cooper), the obligation of a self-governing society (McCormick). Another example is Rousseau's notion of amour propre, or self-love, which guided Georg Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit (in which Hegel delves into this problem of recognition). Rousseau also argued that citizens will choose just laws because of their own self-interest; this led to Rawls's argument in A Theory of Justice, where he uses the tool of the “original position” to argue that when citizens determine justice they will be motivated by self-interest and free choice (Bertram). Rousseau's theories clearly resonated with multiple philosophers across the centuries and laid a solid foundation for subsequent thinkers. In addition to prominent philosophers, Jean Jacques Rousseau also created a sensation among the general public. In 1750 he wrote his Discourse on the Sciences and Arts for an essay competition organized by the Academy of Dijon. He won first place after arguing that social improvement corrupts both society as a whole and individual morality (Bertram). The Discourse was Rousseau's first great published success; it shocked contemporary thinkers and provoked public response. The historian and literary critic Lytton Strachey (Alexander) said of Rousseau: “... he possessed a quality which separated him from his contemporaries, which created an immense gulf between him and them: he was modern... he belonged to another world" ( 178). Rousseau dared to openly and seriously discuss unconventional topics which led French citizens – and people from other areas – to question what they considered intrinsic ideas (Conroy). Rousseau's brazen attitude gave impetus to the Enlightenment and caused the rapid spread of his philosophy. Rousseau later used much of this philosophy to lay the foundation for his educational theories. He believed that education should be a natural process, adapted to the child's development, in which the child “ discovers” concepts with the help of a teacher (“Jean-Jacques Rousseau”, 1998). Rousseau's work Emile was one of the first examples to support this discovery in education; the standard model of the time defined the teacher as an authoritarian figure who transmitted skills and knowledge on the basis of a curriculum (“Jean-Jacques Rousseau”, 2003). Montessori education, a modern system used by approximately 20,000 schools worldwide (NAMTA), draws on many of Rousseau's theories: the system's core values ​​include "guided choice of work" ("Introduction to Montessori "), with teachers who match education with the growth of achild. Both systems emphasize the importance of learning not from teachers but from experience and mistakes. Rousseau's ideas also had an impact on 20th century psychologist John Dewey, who emphasized the importance of a student's involvement in the curriculum in his book My Pedagogic Creed. Dewey may have helped popularize the values ​​of Rousseau and others which led to the Montessori system (Goncalves). While his theories on education were popular at the time, they are just as relevant in society today as people question and debate the workings of public and private school systems. Rousseau's philosophy also led to a change in the government and ruling authorities. In his work Government of Poland, he carefully designed a governmental state with checks and balances, which included inspection by the king, elections and supervision of the Diet (Williams). His firm belief in natural rights and the general will is found throughout the American Constitution, which in turn would shape the governments of other countries. Likewise, the French National Assembly would later incorporate its concept of the general will into the Declaration of Human Rights, which states that “the law is the expression of the general will” (Lauritsen). Rousseau's ideas sparked an emotional connection with people and eventually made their way into important historical documents. Rousseau's darker but no less important influences live on through music. His opera Le Devin Du Village (or The Village Fortune Teller) performed so well that it was immediately performed in a command performance at Fontainebleau for the royal court. The opera remained popular for centuries and was subsequently performed at the wedding of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette (“Jean-Jacques Rousseau”, 2003). Rousseau infused his philosophical ideas into his music, which is why it has remained so popular. Since people give up personal freedoms in favor of society, he therefore believed that music should not be too restrictive of rules and conventions. He created dynamic and exciting music that displayed many of the early characteristics of the Romantic period; indeed, it is possible that his style anticipated this entirely new period of art, literature and music (Bertram). Le Devin also inspired other composers such as the twelve-year-old Mozart, who wrote a parody of the opera entitled Bastien und Bastienne (Zaslaw). However, the public was not as accepting of all his musical creations; he later caused a stir, initiated by the Academie des Sciences, when he attempted to establish a new system of musical notation of his own design. Although the system has been widely disparaged, it is still in use in parts of Europe and South Asia due to its compatibility with typography (Simon). Another of Rousseau's lesser-known achievements is the development of the biographical novel. His work The Confessions, published during his exile in England, details a part of life that most writers have glossed over: childhood. A professor at the University of Sussex wrote that “No one before Rousseau had considered the intimate experiences of childhood and outlined… [their] consequences on the life of the suffering and dislocated adult… he anticipates Freud by more than a century ” (Abbs ). Rousseau himself boasted of “having undertaken an unprecedented undertaking which will have no imitators” (17). However, other less obvious aspects also demonstrate Rousseau's later influence. First, he manages to connect to a female audience (rarely attempted at the time) by detailing his close relationships with the women who shaped his,.