Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

Author

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Original Work

Discourse on Inequality

Translator

Franklin Philip

Editor

Patrick Coleman

Language

English

Year

2009

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Country

United Kingdom

Pages

127

ISBN

0199555427

0000

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 costs of progress may help us to imagine alternatives to the corruption and oppressive conformity of modern society. Rousseau's sweeping account of humanity's social and political development epitomizes the innovative boldness of the Enlightenment, and it is one of the most provocative and influential works of the eighteenth century. This new translation includes all Rousseau's own notes, and Patrick Coleman's Introduction builds on recent key scholarship, considering particularly the relationship between political and aesthetic thought.— Google Books