Discourse on the Origin of Inequality
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques / Coleman, Patrick (Associate Professor of French, Associate Professor of French, University of California at Los Angeles) / Philip, Franklin
In his Discourses (1755), Rousseau argues that inequalities of rank, wealth, and power are the inevitable result of the civilizing process. If inequality is intolerable - and Rousseau shows with unparalleled eloquence how it robs us not only of our material but also of our psychological independence - then how can we recover the peaceful self-sufficiency of life in the state of nature? We cannot return to a simpler time, but measuring the cost...