The Discourse on Inequality, or in its original French title, Discours sur l'origine et les fondements de l'inégalité parmi les hommes, is a work by Jean-Jacques Rousseau published in 1755. This philosophical treatise explores the origins of social inequality among humans, challenging the prevailing Enlightenment views on the natural goodness of civilization and the social contract.
Rousseau wrote the Discourse on Inequality in response to an essay contest by the Academy of Dijon in 1754, which asked whether the restoration of the sciences and arts had contributed to the purification of morals. Although Rousseau did not win the contest, his response became one of his most influential works. He later expanded this essay into a book-length argument about the nature of inequality.
The Discourse on Inequality is divided into two parts:
Rousseau criticizes the artificiality of modern society, which he sees as corrupting natural human goodness, leading to moral and physical inequality. He introduces the concept of amour-propre (self-love or vanity), which he contrasts with amour de soi (self-preservation), arguing that the former is responsible for much of human misery due to its competitive and comparative nature.
The Discourse on Inequality has had a profound influence on political philosophy:
Rousseau's views were controversial, particularly his critique of civilization and his romanticized view of the state of nature. Critics argued that his depiction of pre-civilized man was overly simplistic and his solutions to inequality unrealistic. However, his work opened up new avenues for thinking about human nature, society, and the ethics of inequality.