37 pages • 1 hour read
Jean-Jacques RousseauDiscourse on the Origin of Inequality
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1755A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
In Discourse on Inequality, Jean-Jacques Rousseau explores the origins and impacts of social inequality, positing that humans were originally kind, independent, and equal in a natural state. As population growth led humans to cooperate for survival, new emotions such as vanity emerged, fueling economic inequality and the establishment of government, which Rousseau argues primarily serves to cement the power of the rich over the poor.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Rousseau's Discourse on the Origin of Inequality is praised for its profound exploration of human nature and societal development, highlighting how civilization may corrupt innate goodness. Critics, however, find its speculative historical methodology flawed. Despite this, the work’s philosophical insights remain influential and provoke significant academic discussion.
Who Should Read Discourse on the Origin of Inequality?
Ideal readers for Rousseau's Discourse on the Origin of Inequality are those fascinated by political philosophy and social theory. They often enjoy works like Hobbes' Leviathan, Locke's Two Treatises of Government, and Marx's The Communist Manifesto, seeking to explore concepts of human nature, society, and justice.