Political Philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Mads Qvortrup taught for several years at the London School of Economics. A Research Director and Senior Fellow at the Initiative and Referendum Institute, Washington DC, he is also a senior advisor to the British Government

Qvortrup has written a highly readable and original book on Rousseau. He approaches the subject of Rousseau's social and political philosophy with an attractively broad vision of Rousseau's thought in the context of the development of modernity, including our contemporary concerns. He presents us with an important revisionary view of Rousseau, not as the radical egalitarian revolutionary democrat as standardly conceived, but as a compassionate conservative constitutionalist who is also the first and perhaps only political philosopher to have provided a well-worked out political philosophy of nationalism""Rousseau has often been singled out as a precursor of totalitarian thought. Dr Qvortrup argues persuasively that Rousseau was nothing of the sort. Through an array of chapters the book gives an insightful account of Rousseau's contribution to modern philosophy, and how he inspired individuals as diverse as Mozart, Tolstoi, Goethe, and Kant.""No society can survive without mutuality. Dr. Qvortrup's book shows that rights and responsibilities go hand in hand. It is an excellent primer for anyone wishing to understand how renewal of democracy hinges on a strong civil society