hmm.

this is a short and illuminating read and rousseau is in possession of a clarity of writing that many philosophers throughout history lack, which in itself speaks to its favour. it is also true that the ideas here have been quite instrumental in understanding statecraft as we know it today. that said, rousseau makes some weird leaps of logic, in particular his climate determinism in regards to government — a position i am not quite sure i entirely find believable nor very scientific (but i may be proven wrong yet).