Confessions, True & False

Augustine & Rousseau: Opposite Orientations Toward God, Man & Society

Saint Augustine (354–430), recognized in 1298 by the Roman Catholic Church as a Doctor of the Church, served as bishop of Hippo in North Africa from 396–430. His theological and philosophical writings have influenced Christian thought from the medieval period to this day, and he is considered a stalwart of theological orthodoxy within many Christian traditions. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) was a Genevan-born philosophe. The philosophes were 18th-century French social critics who challenged Church authority and promoted secularism. Rousseau is probably best known for his 1762 book The Social Contract, and his ideas were influential in bringing about the French ­Revolution.

Both men...