Who among the following wrote the famous text 'A Discourse on Political Economy'?
- (a)Montesquieu
- (b)Voltaire
- (c)Rousseau
- (d)Adam Smith
Correct — C, Rousseau. Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote 'A Discourse on Political Economy' (Discours sur l'économie politique, 1755), first published as an article in Diderot's Encyclopédie. Montesquieu, Voltaire and Adam Smith were also major Enlightenment writers, but each is famous for other works, so Rousseau is the author here.
- (a)Montesquieu — He wrote 'The Spirit of the Laws' (1748), famous for the separation of powers — not 'A Discourse on Political Economy'.
- (b)Voltaire — He is known for works such as 'Letters concerning the English Nation' and the satire 'Candide', not this text.
- (d)Adam Smith — He wrote 'The Wealth of Nations' (1776), a founding work of economics — the words 'political economy' tempt this wrong pick.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was a central thinker of the European Enlightenment. His 'Discourse on Political Economy' set out ideas about the general will and public administration that he later developed in 'The Social Contract'. Enlightenment questions often test which thinker wrote which landmark text.
Sort the four writers by their signature works. The phrase 'political economy' baits a guess of Adam Smith, but the specific title 'A Discourse on Political Economy' belongs to Rousseau.
- Rousseau wrote 'A Discourse on Political Economy' (1755), an Encyclopédie article.
- He also wrote 'The Social Contract' (1762) and 'Discourse on the Origin of Inequality' (1755).
- His idea of the 'general will' shaped modern political thought.
- Montesquieu wrote 'The Spirit of the Laws'; Adam Smith wrote 'The Wealth of Nations'.
- Choosing Adam Smith because of the phrase 'political economy'.
- Mixing up Rousseau's works with those of Montesquieu or Voltaire.
Asked as the author of 'A Discourse on Political Economy' — Rousseau.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The concept of the 'general will' is most closely associated with which Enlightenment thinker?
- (a)Montesquieu
- (b)Rousseau
- (c)Voltaire
- (d)John Locke
Answer(b) Rousseau — the 'general will' is central to his political philosophy.
- practice — not a real PYQ
'The Spirit of the Laws', which advocated the separation of powers, was written by
- (a)Rousseau
- (b)Voltaire
- (c)Montesquieu
- (d)Adam Smith
Answer(c) Montesquieu — his 'The Spirit of the Laws' (1748) set out the separation of powers.