Jacques Rousseau (activist)

Jacques Andre Rousseau (born 3 December 1971) is a South African secular activist and social commentator.

Rousseau was born in Cape Town in 1971. He is a philosopher who currently teaches ethics and critical thinking in the Commerce Faculty at the University of Cape Town,[1] South Africa. Since 2008 he has been co-ordinator[2] of the Academic Division of the National Centre for the Study of Gambling,[3] which conducts research into gambling on behalf of the South African Responsible Gambling Federation.[4]

Secular activism

Rousseau is an atheist, secular humanist, sceptic and rationalist. Since 2008, his blog Synapses[5] has focussed on secular issues in South Africa.

In 2009, he founded and became director of the Free Society Institute[6] to promote the naturalistic worldview in South Africa. From 2009, he has been interviewed on the South African television channels M-Net[7] and eTV[8] and has also been quoted on various stories in newspapers such as The Independent in the UK[9] and the Financial Mail in South Africa.[10][11] He has also contributed op-eds for local newspapers including the Cape Times,[12] Cape Argus,[13] The Star[14] and the Durban Mercury.[15]

Since March 2010, Rousseau has been a regular contributor for the South African online publication The Daily Maverick.[16]

References

  1. ^ "University of Cape Town Commerce Department Academic Staff". http://www.commerce.uct.ac.za/Managementstudies/staff/jrousseau/. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  2. ^ "NGRP Newsletter, Issue 10" (PDF). NGRP. p. 3. http://www.responsiblegambling.co.za/media/user/documents/NRGP%20Newsletter%20Issue%2010%20web.pdf. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  3. ^ "National Responsible Gambling Programme". http://www.responsiblegambling.co.za/content.asp?id=13. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  4. ^ "National Gambling Board - Responsible Gambling". http://www.ngb.org.za/home.asp?pid=24. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  5. ^ "Synapses". http://www.synapses.co.za. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  6. ^ "Free Society Institute". http://www.fsi.org.za/about/. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  7. ^ ""Religious Outrage" - Carte Blanche - M-Net". M-Net. http://beta.mnet.co.za/carteblanche/Article.aspx?Id=3652. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  8. ^ "News Night - e.TV". e.TV. http://fsi.org.za/newsnight-interview/. Retrieved 2010-07-27. 
  9. ^ Enjoli Liston, "Inside the-most powerful church in south Africa", The Independent, 21 June 2010 (accessed 7 December 2011)
  10. ^ "Political Morality: Cracking the code". http://www.financialmail.co.za/Article.aspx?id=104633. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  11. ^ Prakash Naidoo, "Catholic scandal - Two laws, one justice", Financial Mail, 8 April 2010 (accessed 7 December 2011)
  12. ^ http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5363138
  13. ^ http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5164095
  14. ^ http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5163990
  15. ^ http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5362445
  16. ^ "Jacques Rousseau - Opinionistas - The Daily Maverick". http://www.thedailymaverick.co.za/opinionistas/jacques-rousseau. Retrieved 2010-07-26.