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Rousseau

Historical Figure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Swiss-French philosopher who idealized the “noble savage” and argued that society corrupts innate human goodness.

Detailed Definition
Rousseau’s romantic return to nature and critique of civilization inspired pastoral and confessional poetry that mourns lost authenticity, celebrates emotional sincerity, and laments the alienation of modern life.
Example
Example in poetry:
Rousseau, romantic philosopher, values nature: "Rousseau said civilization corrupts—return to natural goodness, the noble savage"; A pastoral poem: "In forest, not city, I find virtue—Rousseau’s dream of innocence"; A critique: "Too idealistic, said Wollstonecraft; nature includes brutality"; A modern take: "Digital detox? Rousseau foresaw our need to unplug and rediscover self"
Additional Notes
Rousseau idealized the “noble savage” and argued society corrupts innate goodness; his critique of civilization inspired Romantic poetry that valorizes nature, solitude, and emotion over reason, as in Wordsworth’s “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey,” where the self is purified not by institutions but by wild, unmediated experience.
Also Known As
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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