Report On “A Discourse On Inequality”, By
Jean Jacques Rousseau
In Rousseau’s book “A Discourse On Inequality”, he looks into the
question of where the general inequality amongst men came from. Inequality
exists economically, structurally, amongst different generations, genders,
races, and in almost all other areas of society. However, Rousseau considers
that there are really two categories of inequality. The first is called
Natural/Physical, it occurs as an affect of nature. It includes inequalities of
age,, health, bodily strength, and the qualities of the mind and soul. The
second may be called Moral/Political inequality, this basically occurs through
the consent of men. This consists of the privileges one group may have over
another, such as the rich over the poor.
Rousseau came to the conclusion
that the best way to examine the inequality in society is to examine the
beginning of mankind itself. He tried to imagine the early state of man assuming
there was ever actually a state where man existed only with the nature, in a
solitary, and primitive lifestyle. He did not however revert as far back to the
idea of the Neanderthal man to examine the ideas man held and where they came
from. Instead, he looked at a state where man looked, and seemed to have the
same physical abilities as he does today. Rousseau also concedes that a time
where the ideas of government, ownership, justice, and injustice did not exist
may not have ever existed. If what many religions tell us is true, then, in mans
beginning, he was from the start, handed down laws from god which would
influence his thinking and decisions. Through this, the only way such a period
could come about would have to be through some catastrophic event, which would
not only be impossible to explain, but consequently, impossible to prove.
Therefore, imagining this state could prove not only embarrassing, but would be
a contradiction to the Holy Scriptures.
In the “natural state”, Rousseau
suggests that we should strip man of all the “supernatural gifts” he may have
been given over the course of time. He says we should “consider him, in a word,
just as he must have come from the hands of nature, we behold in him an animal
weaker than some, and less agile than others; but, taking him all around, the
most advantageously organized of any.” He presumes that man’s needs would be
easily satisfied. His food was easily gained, as was his rest, and he was
without need of shelter. Basically, all his needs were easily supplied and
obtained. So, where then, can a society come about in which there can be social
minorities and majorities? Essentially, this is what Rousseau wanted to know.
Man must have begun with only purely animal functions. His sight and his touch
must have been his primary condition. This condition is common amongst animals.
What then differentiated man from the animals was “to will, and not to will, to
desire, and to fear.” Those would be the first, and likely the only operations
of his soul. This would remain so until an occasion arrived where these ideas
would need to be expanded, and new ideas created. Rousseau poses an interesting
question when he asks: ”why a person who has neither fears nor desires should
give
himself the trouble of reasoning.” He says it is by the
activity of our passions that our reason is improved. We desire knowledge only
because we wish to enjoy. We would conclude then that vanity is the source of
our “evolution,” but it is not necessarily so according to Rousseau. Man still
had nothing but basic desires, he did not know of the pleasure he might
experience outside of the act of satisfying his primary needs: Food, Sleep, and
Intercourse. Man learns only what nature shows it, and nature to him becomes
more indifferent, he has no deep metaphysical type inquiries, no foresight or
curiosity. Therefore, although in the future, the idea of vanity is likely to be
an aid, which would cause an exponential increase in the reasoning, hence growth
of the mind and imagination, it could not be the beginning. Oddly enough, the
recognition of death would be one of the first steps made by man in departing
from the animal state. It may have come about through the association of pain
with death. Pain being the only negative idea/feeling the primitive man had, the
pain associated with it could inspire thought, and learning/reasoning. The same
way man learns to hunt and not to be caught is the same way he could learn he
does not want to die, not because of the aftermath but because of the agony in
dying.
Rousseau then compares the ideas of language leading to society, or
society leading to language. Language would be a necessity for passing along
ideas and knowledge from one to another, if there was only a simple society
composed of family (mother-child) they might have developed their own language,
but surely it would not have had the longevity to grow into a standard language,
and Rousseau shows that he believes in order for communication as complex as
language to come about, there had to be the involvement of a higher source.
However assuming that is not so, and although not needed by those persons
existing at that time, language would grow from a very basic and not very useful
cry of nature, it would be used in an occasion such as to call for help, but
would have little use in conveying feelings and ideas. As mans ideas grew so
would his language if he wished to convey his thoughts, hence the birth of the
first most primitive language.
The boiling point comes now when Rousseau
tells of what is the exact point where inequality begins. “This Is Mine,”
according to Rousseau, the moment someone got it in their head to say this and
was believed by another, is the point where inequality begins. That moment was
the reason for all the wars, bloodshed, crimes, and misfortunes, etc. which
civil society has faced. He makes a powerful statement when he says all that
could have been prevented if someone had said: “Beware of listening to this
imposter; you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong
to us all, and the earth itself to nobody.” But where did this idea come from?
Rousseau says there must have been a long and complex process for learning the
steps necessary to come to the idea of ownership. Difficulties must have arisen
in mans life causing him to have to learn new way to surmount them, he may have
had to make tools which gave him yet another advantage over the animals. When he
realized this, he would recognize himself as an individual through the pride he
would gain the moment he looked at himself for he would be at the top of the
food chain. As the human population grew, he would be in contact with them more
often, eventually noticing that their behaviors reflected what his would be if
in the same situation. He would find that in some cases it would be to the
benefit of his well being to be accompanied by those of his own kind. At first,
these groups would be maintained for only as long as it took to serve the
desired goal. However, eventually the groups lifespan would increase
significantly because in more instances remaining a part of the group was more
of a benefit then not.
Now that groups were steadily together, they began to
expand their knowledge, their tool making abilities had increased, they learned
to make huts, and did so because they believed they were easier to defend.
Others would not try and take over this hut, not because it belonged to the one
who built it, but either because it served no use to them, they were weaker,
they could build it themselves, or most likely, they knew that they would have
to fight with the family if they did attempt to take it. Instead, this person
was likely to become a neighbor, rather then an enemy for the sheer motive of
convenience. Essentially, the fact that others stood by as one did something for
oneself, mimicked it rather than tearing it down, allowed for the ideas of
property, and ownership. Property, as it grew large in its ideology would become
too big for those who would eventually try to tear it down, this would lead to
laws and groups who would enforce it as being a valid concept. Thus Ownership,
Property, and Law are the basis for the outbreak and ever present inequality in
our lives.
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1.
The Three Paradigms In Society
“” Functionalist paradigm, conflict paradigm, and symbolic
interaction paradigm are the three major paradigms that function in
today’s society. Functionalist, and conflict paradigms are
macro-sociolo
2.
Discourse On The Origin Of Inequality: Savage Vs Civil Men
In Rousseau’s novel, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, he
discusses the life of the savage man in the first part and then in
the second part he talks about how the civil man came to be. “I
concei
3.
Academic Discourse Vs. Popular Discourse
A discourse community basically speaks for itself and the people
involved in that community. It is the way that people within a
specific group communicate about common topics of interest. In this
pape
4.
Academic Discourse Vs. Popular
A discourse community basically speaks for itself and the people
involved in that community. It is the way that people within a
specific group communicate about common topics of interest. In this
pape
5.
The Inequality Of American Jus
David Cole wrote, "our criminal justice system affirmatively depends
on inequality" (5). Cole has substantial grounds for making this
statement. Race and class have long been issues in the criminal ju
6.
What Is Orientalism?
Said made a clear analogy between orientalism and colonialism. They
are both set with the same binary opposition. white/ non white
occidental/ non occidental In a very detailed and structured study
of
7.
Discourse On The Origin Of Inequality
Rousseau writes in answer to a question proposed to him, namely,
what is the origin of inequality? Almost all of the philosophers
writing before him tended to assert that certain things were
inherent
8.
Deviance Is Socially Defined
What does it mean to say, “?” Deviance is defined as, “The
recognized violation of cultural norms.” Deviance is an act of
rebellion against set of rules, and expected behavior established by
a certain
9.
Deviance In Society
What does it mean to say, “deviance is socially defined?” Deviance
is defined as, “The recognized violation of cultural norms.”
Deviance is an act of rebellion against set of rules, and expected
behav
10.
Evaluate Different Socological
Evaluate different sociological approach to the definition of
poverty The definition of poverty is the centre of a farce debut.
This is if the definition is ‘absolute’ or ‘relative&#
11.
Inequality Of The Sexes
Whoever said men and women are equal must have been blind. Women
have always taken a back seat to men in American society. This
occurrence is not only found in the United States, but in other
countrie
12.
Education And Class- A Class A
Class theorists argue that class provides the basic structure of
society and is also the chief cause of the inequality of modern
societies. The hierarchy of the Australia class system consists of a
"r
13.
The Evolution Of Inequality In
In the United States, true equality has never existed. From the
Declaration of Independence to modern times, the U.S. legal system
has failed in any attempt at equality. The ideology of "all [men]
are
14.
Education: Equal Opportunity?
? The U.S. Educational system has historically divided into two
objective groups. The first objective focuses on increasing
opportunity. The second objective focuses on stabilizing an unequal
society.
15.
Racism In The Movies
Spike Lee’s, Do The Right Thing is a comtemporary look at racism in
a ordinary city urban neighborhood. The movie is seen through the
eyes of the main character, Mookey, we are shown the multiple rela
16.
The Paradox Of Community
“One can see that insiders are caught in : The same cultural
vocabulary that undermines community is simultaneously that
community's idiom of self-affirmation” (Greenhouse, et al. 175). In
Law and Com
17.
To Kill A Mockingbird: Scout And Maturity
To be a positive human being involves maturity. Maturity is used to
describe the state of a person who is experienced, wise, and has
common sense. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird the character Scou
18.
Victims Still
Robert Elias’ book, “”, presents a very controversial stance that
the victims’ movement is, perhaps, not at all. Elias suggests that
all the programs, laws, and institutions th
19.
To Help The Poor
The inequality of people has gained the attention of the media
lately. Yet common people prefer using a dollar for something
totally useless to giving it to charity. This is surprising, because
that d
20.
Book Review On Tavriss The Mis
Carol Tavris’s The Mismeasure of Women offers the reader insight
into the inequality and problems women face in society. |