 Rousseau had read about an essay competition sponsored by the Académie de Dijon to be published in the "Mercure de France" on the theme of whether the development of the arts and sciences had been morally beneficial.He wrote that while walking to Vincennes (about three miles from Paris), he had a revelation that the arts and sciences were responsible for the moral degeneration of mankind, who were basically good by nature.Rousseau's 1750 "Discourse on the Arts and Sciences" was awarded the first prize and gained him significant fame.