Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Historical and international
Photo: Maurice Quentin de La Tour (Life time: 1788), Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Position estimated from: The Social Contract: popular sovereignty, the general will, a civil religion.
Political compass placement
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 42 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 46 | near the center | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 29 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 60 | near the center | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 30 | toward non-intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 40 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 46 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 60 | near the center |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 45 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 12 | strongly toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 17 | toward egalitarian |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 55 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 30 | toward non-intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 49 | near the center |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the available evidence through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Key positions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Disagrees | estimated |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Agrees | estimated |
| Taxes on the highest incomes should be raised to fund public services. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
Closest ideologies
Christian Humanism88% similar positionGuild Socialism87% similar positionCentrism86% similar positionDirect Democracy86% similar positionLeft-Wing Nationalism86% similar position
Similar and contrasting figures
Malcolm X91% similar · US politiciansLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva90% similar · Historical and internationalAna Kasparian89% similar · CommentatorsRobert F. Kennedy Jr.88% similar · US politiciansTulsi Gabbard88% similar · US politiciansAdolf HitlerContrasting: 45% similarBenito MussoliniContrasting: 49% similarFrancisco FrancoContrasting: 50% similar
Sources
Profile last reviewed October 11, 2026.