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Rousseau Discourse On Inequality Summary

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Rousseau in "Discourses on Inequality" and "On the Social Contract" investigates the nature of freedom and its place in human society. At the same time, equality is a concept that Rousseau explores and is a central question that our society today focuses on. Thus, it is worthwhile to investigate whether a free society is necessarily an equal one; in other words, whether freedom is synonymous to equality. Rousseau separates absolute equality into both physical and moral equality; therefore, the discussion will proceed by first investigating whether both or either forms of equality are possible within a free society, whether in the state of nature or in Rousseau's social contract. One more sentence here about my argument. Ultimately, there is never an absolutely equal society whether or not there is freedom.
Rousseau argues that men are naturally free in the state of nature; and yet, even in this free and untainted society, there exists physical inequality, suggesting that a free society is not necessarily an equal one. As Rousseau claims in the Discourses on Inequality, "they are born men and free," freedom is a prerogative of humanity (160). He asserts that there is a natural, …show more content…

Such being the case, that original state cannot subsist any longer, and the human race would perish if it did not alter its mode of existence" ("On the Social Contract" 163).
It appears necessary that men aggregate into societies and it is impossible for humanity to revert back to the ideal solitary state of nature. As previously demonstrated, inequalities are bound to multiply with the development of societies, whose formation is inevitable in

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Rousseau’s beliefs coincided with the beliefs of other Enlightenment thinkers. This is shown when he writes, “Duty and interest thus equally require the two contracting parties [the people and the government] to aid each other mutually” (Document 3). In that period of history, it was typical for people to be ruled by a monarch and they had very little say, if any, in the laws and policies that impacted their day to day life. Rousseau felt that the system was outdated and it made citizens feel as if they were living in someone else’s home rather than their own, so he theorized that by fabricating a system in which the government and the people are forced to work together, it creates a sense of unity and equality. This works because “ … an offense against one of its members is an offense against the body politic.

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The Enlightenment was an era that challenged people to really think about government and society. Many writers, thinkers, and artists were influenced by this era. This quote from an Enlightenment thinker, John Locke, explains that all men are born equal and that freedom shouldn’t be harmed or limited; “All mankind… being all equal and independent, on one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.” (Document 1) Jean Jacques Rousseau also had the same idea of a free man. He stated, “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in shackles.”

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Rousseau’s beliefs coincided with the beliefs of other Enlightenment thinkers. This is shown when he writes, “Duty and interest thus equally require the two contracting parties [the people and the government] to aid each other mutually” (Document 3). In that period of history, it was typical for people to be ruled by a monarch and they had very little say, if any, in the laws and policies that impacted their day to day life. Rousseau felt that the system was outdated and it made citizens feel as if they were living in someone else’s home rather than their own, so he theorized that by fabricating a system in which the government and the people are forced to work together, it creates a sense of unity and equality. This works because “ … an offense against one of its members is an offense against the body politic.

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All men were born equal. That is one of John Locke’s, a great philosopher’s, ideas. Every man, from the farmer to the artisan to the politician, is equal. As equal citizens, we should have representation in the government and what laws are placed upon us,

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“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” these famous words written in the Declaration of Independent are not original to the founding fathers. Rousseau states “Man was born free,” this idea of freedom can be seen repeated several times in the works of the age of enlightenment. “Man, Paine argues, was born into a state of equality,” which clearly monarchy contradicts by elevating one man over the other. Locke adds “For in that state of perfect equality, where naturally there is no superiority or jurisdiction one over another.” The monarchy placed an unequal playing field for man.

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The concept of all people being equal was one that was new to the people of the age of Enlightenment. Equality would grant all men a say in their government and let them explore the world around them. Jean-Jacques Rousseau demonstrates how the ideals of society were changing when he states The common good is what is best for a society as a whole, not just for a few people or the individual or group that is acting. The common good is built upon equality. It is meant to ensure the welfare of all people regardless of social class.

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Of course, there would be freedom for those on the upper rungs of society who benefit from inequality. However, this small segment of the population does not represent the people. Without the base of equality, society would still exist in the past state of aristocracy, and the rights of the people would be surrendered to the limited few who concentrate most of the power. This much was clear to Tocqueville, who attributed the “middle-class and democratic freedom of which the world’s history had not previously provided”(34) to the absence of inequality found in America(33). However, this does not necessarily mean that equality guarantees

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In any other system, the people give up their freedom without any reason; it should be created only if all agree to it. The social contract would exist for the purpose of self-preservation, pushing the common will of the Sovereign. To convince his audience of these complex ideas, Rousseau must stay organized and be intentional in his rhetorical

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The state of nature is the state in which man first existed. The right to property consists of whether individuals have a defensible right to a certain form of property, whether it be wealth, objects, or land. Social inequality consists of inequality between citizens in political society resulting from differences in property. All references to inequality herein are to social inequality, not to any other type. Finally, for the purpose of brevity, all references to governments are references to governments formed by the consent of the governed unless separately denoted.

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On the other hand, Werther takes an extremely Romantic approach, with his life and experiences demonstrating the limitations of a rational society. In Discourse on the Origin of Moral Inequality, Rousseau rationally determines that the emergence of society and the invention of property directly cause moral inequality between people, specifically, the rich and the poor. First, he establishes the state of nature as a basic system, with no complex morality or rationality involved, unlike the states of nature described by Hobbes and Locke. At the most fundamental degree, Rousseau places mankind at the same level as other animals.

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In his work Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Rousseau presents the argument that political inequality is rooted in the origins of human sociality. He suggests that in the state of nature, only physical inequality existed. Thusly meaning that political inequality only came into being as a result of human beings shifting from undifferentiated oneness to differentiated individuals. He illustrates three main stages that lead to this (civil society): the development of village life, the social division of labor and the formation of government. In forming society, we as human beings entered into social relationships and so were able to socially construct agreed upon measurements of human worth (i.e. private property) and so create political inequalities.

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“This right does not come from nature, it is therefore founded upon convention”. Rousseau does not view society in the same light as Durkheim. He does not believe that society is the savior of humans and that there is no real self without it. Unlike Durkheim, Rousseau believes that the only natural society is the traditional family and that any other form is forged out of convention. Rousseau mentions that when parents are done raising their child and that child is no longer dependent, but chooses to stay then the family is together out if convention and is then unnatural.

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Thus, both men would evaluate the statement that “in a legitimate state all men are free and there is no inequality,” differently. Rousseau would mostly disagree, holding that the state itself is the impetus for inequality. Hobbes would largely agree, contending that men are equal both in a primitive state of conflict and under a sovereign’s awesome power. These different responses result from the philosophers’ opposing views on fundamental human nature, civil society’s raison d’etre, and government’s inevitable form. --- Rousseau begins his

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