Jean-Jacques Rousseau vs John Locke
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
France- Political philosopher
- Author of The Social Contract
Genevan-born philosopher whose Social Contract (1762) argues that legitimate government rests on the general will of a sovereign people.
Full profile of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
John Locke
United Kingdom- Philosopher
- Author of Two Treatises of Government
English philosopher whose Second Treatise grounds government in consent and the protection of life, liberty and property, including a right of resistance.
Full profile of John LockeIn short
How they compare
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) and John Locke (1632-1704) are a 70% match on the 9 axes where both have a clear record.
They differ most on ownership (Jean-Jacques Rousseau: public (mild); John Locke: private (strong)), markets (Jean-Jacques Rousseau: planned (moderate); John Locke: free (moderate)) and welfare (Jean-Jacques Rousseau: shared (moderate); John Locke: self-reliant (mild)). They are closest on authority, morality and trade.
On the economy John Locke sits further toward markets; on state and liberty Jean-Jacques Rousseau sits further toward authority; on society Jean-Jacques Rousseau sits further toward tradition; on the world stage Jean-Jacques Rousseau sits further toward nation.
Generated from the two sourced profiles on this site. Each axis placement and its reasoning is on the full profile pages.
★ By family of axes
- Economy3 axes
- Jean-Jacques Rousseauequality (moderate)John Lockemarkets (moderate)
- State and liberty3 axes
- Jean-Jacques Rousseauliberty (mild)John Lockeliberty (mild)
- Society2 axes
- Jean-Jacques Rousseautradition (moderate)John Lockebalanced
- World1 axis
- Jean-Jacques Rousseaunation (moderate)John Lockenation (mild)
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau: petals and stars
- John Locke: dashed outline
★ Where they differ most
- Ownership100 points apart
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Public (mild). John Locke: Private (strong).
- Markets80 points apart
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Planned (moderate). John Locke: Free (moderate).
- Welfare70 points apart
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Shared (moderate). John Locke: Self-reliant (mild).
- Security70 points apart
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Order (mild). John Locke: Liberty (moderate).
★ Where they are closest
- Morality · 20 apart
- Authority · 20 apart
- Trade · 30 apart
Axis by axis
John Locke
Economy
Equality / Markets- OwnershipMild: Public65%35%PublicPrivate
- MarketsModerate: Planned70%30%PlannedFree
- WelfareModerate: Shared75%25%SharedSelf-reliant
State and liberty
Liberty / Authority- AuthorityModerate: Democratic70%30%DemocraticStrong leader
- SecurityMild: Order35%65%LibertyOrder
- StructureModerate: Local70%30%LocalCentral
Society
Progress / Tradition- MoralityModerate: Traditional30%70%ProgressiveTraditional
- ReligionMild: Religious35%65%SecularReligious
- TechnologyNo clear recordEmbraceCaution
- CultureNo clear recordMulticulturalNational identity
World
Global / Nation- TradeModerate: Protected25%75%GlobalProtected
- Foreign policyNo clear recordCooperationStrength
Not compared: Technology (no clear record for John Locke), Culture (no clear record for John Locke), Foreign policy (no clear record for John Locke). These axes are greyed out above and left out of the match.
★ 12 Axes Political Test ★
Who are you closer to?
Answer plain statements on 12 axes and see your match with Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Locke and every other historical figure, axis by axis.
FAQ
Jean-Jacques Rousseau vs John Locke
What is the difference between Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Locke?
They differ most on ownership (Jean-Jacques Rousseau: public (mild); John Locke: private (strong)), markets (Jean-Jacques Rousseau: planned (moderate); John Locke: free (moderate)) and welfare (Jean-Jacques Rousseau: shared (moderate); John Locke: self-reliant (mild)). On the economy John Locke sits further toward markets; on state and liberty Jean-Jacques Rousseau sits further toward authority; on society Jean-Jacques Rousseau sits further toward tradition; on the world stage Jean-Jacques Rousseau sits further toward nation.
What do Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Locke have in common?
They are closest on authority, morality and trade. Overall their profiles are a 70% match on the 9 axes where both have a clear record.
Who leans more toward free markets, Jean-Jacques Rousseau or John Locke?
On the economic axes they share, John Locke sits further toward markets and Jean-Jacques Rousseau further toward equality. Jean-Jacques Rousseau reads as equality (moderate) overall, John Locke as markets (moderate).
Am I closer to Jean-Jacques Rousseau or John Locke?
Take the 12 Axes Political Test. Your result shows your match with both of them, and with every other historical figure and ideology on the site, axis by axis.
