Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (1755)

This will be the second meeting of a group reading from the writings of Rousseau. Last time we took a look at the Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts (The First Discourse), and now we'll be talking about the Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (The Second Discourse). At the beginning of the meeting we will quickly take note of a number of important passages in the First that we missed last time, and then we'll turn to the Second, of which we will discuss only the Preface and Part 1. If anyone wants to read the Letter to Geneva as well, please feel free to do so.

Rousseau wrote on a wide variety of subjects, but the group will first delve into his political theory. And, while the group will concentrate on Rousseau, we may also take a look at other writers of the French Enlightenment; i.e. Montesquieu, Diderot, and, although he was a bit earlier, Montaigne.

This is the translation we will be using during the first few meetings: https://annas-archive.org/md5/9c70d9441bf70f896c87a1ccd668c0bd

About the texts:

What is the relation between science, art, and morality? Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s First Discourse, or Discourse on the Sciences and Arts (1750), argues that the progress of knowledge and culture has led to moral corruption rather than virtue. Written in response to the Academy of Dijon’s question — whether the advancement of the sciences and arts has purified morals — Rousseau offers a resounding no. He contends that intellectual and artistic achievements have fostered vanity, deceit, and decadence, making individuals more concerned with appearances and status than with genuine virtue. Rousseau sees the arts and sciences as tools that serve elites, reinforce social hierarchies, and distract people from their moral and civic responsibilities.

In his Discourse on Inequality, Rousseau provides an account of the historical development of the human race, distinguishes between “natural man” (man as formed by nature) and “social man” (man as shaped by society), and argues that good education should develop the nature of man.