Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

Rousseau, Jean Jacques

Paperback

Philosophy

Publisher Price: $9.95

ISBN10: 1722504846
ISBN13: 9781722504847
Publisher: G&D Media
Published: Sep 23 2025
Pages: 94
Weight: 0.30
Height: 0.19 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Originally written in1754 for an essay competition run by the Dijon Academy of Arts and Sciences, Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men by the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau is a strikingly original inquiry into politics and human nature.

The Discourse presents a theoretical view of people in a pre-social condition and the ensuing effects of civilization. Rousseau's sweeping account of humanity's social and political development is one of the most influential and provocative works of the eighteenth century.

To answer the question: What is the origin of inequality among men, and is it authorized by the natural law? Rousseau addresses both natural and moral inequality. Rousseau argues that moral inequalities of rank, wealth, and power are the inevitable result of the civilizing process. His cynical view of civil society contends that man has strayed from his natural state of individual independence and freedom to satisfy his individual needs and desires.

Rousseau eloquently shows how inequality robs us not only of our material goods but also our psychological independence. While we cannot return to a simpler time, measuring the costs of progress may help us imagine alternatives to the corruption and oppressive conformity of modern society in order to recover the peaceful self-sufficiency of life.

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