Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (World's Classics)

by PatrickColeman (Editor), Jean-JacquesRousseau (Author), Franklin Philip (Editor)

• Used

  Paperback
  1994

  $3.31

  In his Discourses (1755), Rousseau argues that inequalities of rank, wealth and power are the inevitable result of the civilizing process. If inequality is intolerable - and Rousseau shows with unparalleled eloquence how it robs us not only of our material, but also of our psychological independence - then how can we recover the peaceful self-sufficiency of life in the state of nature? We cannot return to a simpler time, but measuring the costs of progress may help us to imagine alternatives to the corruption and oppressive conformity of modern society. Rousseau's sweeping account of humanity's social and political development epitomizes the innovative boldness of the Enlightenment, and it is one of the most provocative and influential works of the 18th century. This new translation includes all Rousseau's own notes, and Patrick Coleman's introduction builds on recent key scholarship, considering particularly, the relationship between political and aesthetic thought. Patrick Coleman is the author of Rousseau's Political Imagination .

• Used

  Paperback
  2004

  $3.31

• New

  Paperback
  1992

  $14.34

  Donald Cress's highly regarded translation, based on the critical Pleiade edition of 1964, is here issued with a lively introduction by James Miller, who brings into sharp focus the cultural and intellectual milieu in which Rousseau operated. This new edition includes a select bibliography, a note on the text, a translators note, and Rousseaus own Notes on the Discourse.