he restoration of the arts and sciences has had the effect of purifying or corrupting morals. He submitted a winning essay entitled "Discourse on the Sciences and Arts." In this essay Rousseau stated:virtue is found "engraved on the heart" of every person. That no special knowledge is necessary, so the advance of knowledge does nothing to improve morals. However, the reverse is true. One is more likely to find virtue in the simple laborer than in the philosopher or artist. The problem is that when a society achieves the leisure to pursue knowledge in art and philosophy, its members become caught up in appearances and illusion. The need to appear correct becomes more important than the truth, and people are led away from the honesty that characterizes more primitive, natural sciences.This essay earned him considerable fame, but he reacted against it. It was as though the fame Rousseau had been seeking was too much for him to mentally handle. His mental health was a matter of some concern for the rest of his life. There were often periods when he found it difficult to be in the company of others. At around the time of the publication of his famous, very influential discourses on inequality and political economy, Rousseau also began to fall out with Diderot and the Ecyclopedists. Shortly after this, the Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg offered him a house on their estate at Montmorency. Within the next four years of seclusion in Montmorency, Rousseau produced three major works. The first being The New Heloise (1767), one of the most widely read novels of his day. The second being The Social Contract (April 1762), one of the most influential books on political theory. The first line of the book states, "Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains." The social contract Rousseau explores in the book involves people recognizing a collective "general will". This general will representing the common good or public interest, w...
