"Rousseau is often said to have "discovered and invented our modernity," and Todorov's interpretation of Rousseau centers on the question of what sort of life we can live in modern times. Like modernity itself, the answer is complex: there are several ways of life Rousseau contemplates and that Todorov considers along with him. Rousseau juxtaposes the life of the citizen and that of the solitary individual, and then, Todorov shows us, he reveals a "third way": that of the moral individual.

Todorov explores these ways of life and their relevance for us two centuries after Rousseau. Although all have commendable features, it is the third way, that of the moral individual - the path laid out in Rousseau's novel, Emile - that the philosopher recommends without reservation."--BOOK JACKET.