Analysis Of Rousseau's Discourse On The Origins Of Inequality

In his book, Discourse on the Origins of Inequality, Rousseau introduces multiple concepts of how he conceives current society with the state of nature through many arguments. In order to understand his concepts and ideas, I will introduce three of his strongest arguments. The first argument that I will be introducing is the state from both views of Kant and Rousseau. Rousseau believed the state completely absorbs society leading to the corruption of its individuals and the creation of a social contract. Although, Kant believed that the state of nature, not the state, provided a disadvantage to individuals and therefore the formation of stable political communities were needed. The second argument deals with the ownership private property from both views of Kant and Rousseau. Rousseau focused on private property and its construction on social statuses that led to corruption of society. He also focused on the ownership of some individuals …show more content…
The division of labor and possession of private property gave the owners of the property an advantage to dominate and mistreat the poor without any consequences. Private property is not established in the state of nature, instead it is shared equally amongst those who occupy that area. The rise of society created a division between man and its greed for a share in ownership of the land that they once they proudly shared. Wars, murders, and crimes are then committed amongst individuals and groups of people in order for them to control that land. (Rousseau 44) Rousseau believes with the development of amour proper comes private property. The concept of private property limits many individuals because of its limited amount. Once all property is owned, those with property are given a permanent and advantageous opportunity against those who don’t own anything and this is where we perceive the beginning of inequality in civil