A Discourse upon the Origin and Foundation of the Inequality among Mankind

by Jean Jacques Rousseau

Publisher:

R. and J. Dodsley

, 1761

Overview

Rousseau wrote A Discourse upon the Origin and Foundation of the Inequality among Mankind (also known as the Second Discourse) in 1754, as a response to an essay competition by the Academy of Dijon. The discourse was an answer to the question: “What is the origin of inequality among men, and is it authorized by natural law?” Rousseau separates inequality into two categories: natural/physical inequality and ethical/political. He dismisses the first type as a quality of nature that cannot be escaped. He focuses on the second type, ethical equality, as it is established by human society. He says that civil society is a product of man having deviated from his natural state. He argues that, as such, it is an institution created by the rich and powerful to maintain their control over the poor and weak.

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Key Features

• Discusses inequality in mankind as it relates to natural law
• Focuses on ethical and political inequality

Product Details

• Title: A Discourse upon the Origin and Foundation of the Inequality among Mankind
• Author: Jean Jacques Rousseau
• Publisher: R. and J. Dodsley
• Print Publication Date: 1761
• Logos Release Date: 2013
• Pages: 260
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Equality; Natural law; Political science
• Resource ID: LLS:DSCRSORGNFNDTNROUSSEAU
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T19:37:21Z

About Jean Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a major Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy heavily influenced the French Revolution, as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought. His novel, Émile: or, On Education is a seminal treatise on the education of the whole person for citizenship.