Topic > Human inequality and the solution to Rousseau's social contract

In his speech on inequality between men, Rousseau argued that, contrary to intuition, the "savage" man living in a totally pre-social desert acted with greater empathy and kindness towards his fellow men even of the reasoned philosophers of the modern era. Rousseau considered pity a natural impulse (i.e. unaffected and unsocialized), evident even in animals, a feeling that pushed wild man to help and not hinder other human beings he encountered in difficulty. And since these humans had no property or society whatsoever, they would have had no need of other humans, and thus would have felt no impulse to commit acts of cruelty (e.g., theft) towards their fellow men: they would be "subject to few passions ". and self-sufficient." Although there was natural or "physical" inequality - for example, differences in health, age and physicality - there was no moral or "political" inequality, defined by Rousseau as "different privileges enjoyed by some to the detriment of others, such as being richer, more honored, more powerful", even keeping others in slavery. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The development of political equality began with the early development of society and property. First, as humans proliferated, so did the challenges to survival. This necessitated the appropriation of natural things to meet such challenges, such as animal skins, weapons, fish hooks, and fire. These developments have reduced man's ability to be self-sufficient, while raising the paradox of convenience, according to which deprivation is perceived worse than beneficial possession. The notion of superiority and personal esteem is followed with the development of critical analysis, according to which things can be compared qualitatively. More importantly, Rousseau observed that while "love of well-being is the sole motive of human actions", these humans nevertheless cooperate for reasons of common interest, such as an organized hunt; language developed for the same purpose. After this "enlightenment", humans could begin to live in self-built homes (as opposed to caves or outdoors), a major development that fostered the development of both personal property and society. Families lived together as clans, and from these associations developed societies consisting of many families (Rousseau suggested that this development came from small islands, where people were forced together and nomadism was impossible). Frequent contact between multiple people and the emergence of new interpersonal relationships led to ideas of "worth and beauty producing feelings of preference", and the notion of love led to jealousy. Public esteem developed with public gatherings and respect went to the most talented, thus fomenting inequalities and feelings of vanity and contempt, shame and envy. Rousseau argued that, although esteem led to violent reprisals, this state was a happy balance between "the indolence of our primitive state and the petulant activity of our [current] egocentrism." they could live "as free, healthy, good and happy as they could according to their nature". Yet the development of the arts involving more people, "as soon as a man realized that it was useful for a single individual to have provisions for two," meant the development of property, the necessity of labor, and the death of equality. Using metallurgy and agriculture as formative examples, Rousseau wrote that primitive initiative in investments, in the acquisition of wealth, in the development of property.