Adam Smith and Jean Jacques Rousseau were both influential
philosophers whose views shaped political and social thought for
years to come. Each had a viewpoint specific to their discipline; which were both similar and divergent. This paper examines the writings of these
philosophers including "Discourse on the Inequalities of Men" (1734), and "Social Contract" (1762) by Rousseau and "Of the Expense of the Institutions for the
Education of Youth" by Smith to show how both believed it was the responsibility for the state to provide all citizens with education although they differ on their basic concept of what that education should be.