Romanticism, as a term was coined in the 1840s, but as a movement has been around since the late 18th century. Romanticism, in essence, is the notion that reason alone cannot explain everything, and deeper, even subconscious appeals must be sought.
Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) is considered to be the father of romanticism, and although (according to Russell) he doesn’t possess the qualities of a conventional philosopher, he nevertheless had an immensely powerful influence on literature, politics, and through that, philosophy. His arguments relied on “the sensibilities”. Unlike Utopian thinkers, Rousseau talked of transferring everyday existence and his philosophy remained a unique blend of the idealistic and realistic, where he talked of a possibility of a better world.
His mother died when he was an infant, and his father was a poor watchmaker and dance master. He therefore was brought up by his aunt, but he left school at the tender age of 12. At 16, he fled from Geneva to Savoy.
After winning a prize for his negative response to the essay question, “Have the arts and sciences conferred benefits on mankind”, Rousseau started living by the philosophy he preached in it. He stated that both the arts and the sciences were the worst enemies of morals as they created wants and desires. Rousseau then started living the simple life, and even sold his watch- stating that he no longer needed to know the time. He went onto elaborate his philosophies expressed in his first essay, in his second, “discourses on inequality”, although he received no prize. In it, he argued that man is naturally good, but is made bad by the institution.
His main ideas followed the idea that the modern state represses the physical freedom we are born with, and this notion is expressed in one of his most famous quotes, “man is free, but everywhere he is in chains”.
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