Discourse on the Arts and Sciences
9.00 GEL
- Author: Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- Year of publication: 2014
- Translator: Dodo Labuchidze
- Page quantity: 154
- Cover designer / Illustrator: Nino Khosruashvili
- Language: Georgian
- Category: NON-FICTION
- ISBN: 978-9941-9283-4-5
In this work, Jean-Jacques Rousseau examines the influence of science and the arts on society and human nature. He questions whether the development of knowledge and the arts contributes to moral improvement. Criticizing the superficial brilliance of civilization, Rousseau argues that progress does not necessarily lead to moral advancement. First published in 1750, the work brought Rousseau widespread recognition. It was written for a competition organized by the Dijon Academy, which posed the question of whether the revival of the sciences and arts had contributed to the purification of morals. Rousseau’s answer was negative: he argued that the growth of civilization and knowledge often comes at the expense of human virtues.