Jean-Jacques Rousseau: The Origins of Inequality
A brief analysis of “Discourse on Inequality”
Before Rousseau starts his analysis, he first differentiates between different kinds of oppressions or inequalities. He says that there is
- “natural” or “physical” inequality and
- “political” inequality.
Natural inequality refers to inequalities imposed by physical stature, health, age, and the qualities of the mind. Political inequality refers to social status, wealth, and public influence. It is important to start any analysis by differentiating between terms, thus confronting hurdles in communication. Rousseau, therefore, rightly turns to this at the outset of his text. He writes that the primary purpose of his discourse is to question the nature of political inequality and whether there is any justification for aristocratic oppression.
Rousseau addresses the underlying tension we need to resolve in order to discuss the origin of inequality; we first must understand ourselves, our human nature, in order to make any justified conclusions about the prevalence of inequality in modern societies.
