Everything happens in a mysterious way, the author of "Social Contract" and "New Heloise, not yet written in 1750 important date for Jean-Jacques, is walking, something happens in his heart, begins a complete break with the philosophia, the authors of the encyclopedia, is what critics call the lighting of Vincennes, Jean-Jacques began to condemn the art, stands out from Paris.
This conversion begins by reading the announcement of the Academy of Dijon: "If the renaissance of arts and sciences has helped to purify morals ", a prize which, paradoxically, the city of Geneva wins.
He begins to think and realizes he is out of his time, perhaps not so strange, its attacks, "moralists" like his contemporaries, and led him to be a huge success, however, our author does not appreciate until the fund.
Soon fact, in 1756, arrives at the final closing and retreats to a cottage in Monntmorency, where he will have an extremely productive in those years are the aforementioned "Social Contract", "Giulia or the New Heloise" el ' "Emilio". Well
is to remember, however, that this sentence is relative, not ontological, not absolute, is not the art to corrupt men, the art is not evil, what is wrong is the relationship between art and society.
Rousseau railed against artists who sell out and sell to be appreciated and acclaimed, who prefer to be applauded rather than to be virtuous, and it is precisely in this, he plays in the importance of virtue, the very core of the sentence.
between virtue and genius, without a doubt our author chooses the only "thing" that really belongs to us, which is solely ours, the only one that can grow and increase our own strength, or the virtue.
The genius (or rather, have the genius), it is something that we already have, since it innate, can not really improve, we just, we, making good use, join us to virtue, and be real genes (it is necessary to remember that , in condemning the art, there is a substantial difference between being a genius, and have only genius).
Rousseau condemns those who have genius, but it does not make good use of those interested only to be known and humiliates himself, a man who wants to be nice and not a righteous man.
In his "Discourse on the sciences and the arts" (essay which can be found in one magnificent collection edited by Professor Ferdinand Sticker "Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Writings on arts publishing house Clueb) focuses on the fact that the birth of the arts has led humanity, once simple, corruption and inequality: each one tries to look better, everyone tries to get noticed.
But how to reconcile his iron then this criticism, his production of novels and essays?
Our author defends himself against this charge in the preface to Narciso, arguing that he writes not for fame, and if he ever forget his virtue, he would throw himself into the fire all his writings.
And, as written by Jean-Jacques, the real genius is not for sale, it is disinterested.
