What Was The Intellectual Climate In Which 'Emile' By Jean-Jacques Rousseau Appeared?

The famous introduction in Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, seems fitting to describe the intellectual climate in which Rousseau's 'Emile' appeared: 'it was the age of wisdom, it   was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness'. Although this passage describes the year 1775 and Emile was published in 1762, it is a compelling depiction of the Enlightenment period, full of restless change and seeming contradiction.   

While education and intellectual inquiry were greatly valued during this time, they were
also heavily censored.   As proof of the reverence for learning, the monarchy sponsored the production of the Encyclopedia, which covered a multitude of subjects in 28 volumes. However, before release, any references which might threaten the authority of the monarchy and church were edited out.  Still, the writers managed to use irony for subversive effect, leading to the publication's ban in 1759 (Video 1, Aspects of Enlightenment). Rousseau was one of the writers who appeared in this publication, demonstrating that, momentarily, even the monarchy considered him one of the great thinkers of the time.  In an intellectual climate that was full of flux, it was inevitable that he would soon fall from grace.