Rousseau's Discourse On The Origin Of Inequality '

Civil Man’s Weakness If animals attacked savage man and now do not attack civilized man, why is civilized man weaker than savage man? In Rousseau’s Discourse on the origin of Inequality, Rousseau says that animals do not attack civilized man because they accept that civilized man is stronger than any other animal. At another point in the book, he makes the claim that civilized man is weaker than savage man. In that case, what makes civilized man weaker than savage man? Civilized man’s weakness derives from his dependency on society. Civilized man’s weakness derives from his dependency on shelter, tools, and companionship. Civilized man’s weakness derives from his dependency on shelter. A theme that is seen throughout the book is Rousseau saying that animals are superior than humans physically, and humans are superior mentally. Animals have fur to survive the weather of their habitat. Meanwhile, humans are at a disadvantage and have to take time to build shelters in order to survive. Rousseau explains the transition in shelter between savage man and civilized man by explaining “The more the mind was enlightened the more industry was

He also proves a point when he says “I see an animal less strong than some, less agile than others” by saying that without all the dependency civil man has, he is weaker than animals. “The first person who, having an enclosed plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple enough to believe him, was the true founder of a civil society” (Rousseau 44). Nobody stepping up to this man to say how ‘nothing belongs to anyone in this world’, shows how weak humans are compared to other animals that compete for a habitat. This shows how dependent humans are with each other that everyone does their best to not start fights, even when they do not get what they