Rousseau and his early friends (Diderot, d’Alambert, Voltaire, Turgot, Buffon and many others) were called the Encyclopedists, as they worked on a translation — with many aditions — of Ephraïm Chambers encyclopedia. This endeavor was part a a global intellectual and artistic movida aiming to enlight both the society and the future, and mainly driven by Bourgeois forces trying to move their way up, through the Monarchie and the Religious obscurantism and superstitions. Liberal economy and empirical philosophy appeared during these decades, and paved the way to the French Revolution. It was called the Siècle des Lumières, the Century of lights (literal translation) or Age of Enlightenment if you will.
Staying rue Jean Jacques Rousseau brings you right in the path of these extraordinary men. He lived next door for a few years, and the Encyclopedists would have a meeting place in the nearby Palais Royal.
But this neighborhood was all about lights even before any of the Encyclopedists were born. As one of the oldest of the city, it was probably the first to benefit from Louis XIV’s (the Sun King) policy of setting lights on every main streets, and asking resident to put candles on their windows, with the goal of reducing crimes. This is when Paris got its “City of Lights” nickname.
But we got slightly ahead of ourselves here, as we primarily wanted to share with you that most of the lights of the flat are on dimming circuits (everywhere there is a push-type button).
- One short press and you turn it on/off.
- One long press, and the light will increase/decrease.
Rue Jean Jacques Rousseau 