Both Edmund Burke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau can be
grouped among the key thinkers of the eighteenth century. They
are widely understood to be quite different from one another, and
their outlooks—especially their political-philosophical views—are
often contrasted by scholars. Among those who have profitably
contrasted Burke with Rousseau is the early twentieth century literary
scholar and social critic Irving Babbitt. Babbitt famously favors
the “classic” over the “romantic”; he considers romanticism’s
ethical and political implications to be destructive of society. He
uses Rousseau as his prime representative of romanticism and of
all that is wrong with it, and uses Burke as a foil in criticizing
Rousseau. Although Babbitt never explicitly describes Burke’s
thought as “classical,” Burke sometimes seems to serve as
Babbitt’s primary representative of the “classical” perspective he
champions.