Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

The Chains That Bind: Rousseau’s Discourse on Inequality

A powerful and passionate exploration of the roots of social inequality, Rousseau’s Discourse influenced virtually every major philosopher of the Enlightenment and remains among the 18th century’s most provocative and frequently studied works.

If humans are benevolent by nature, how do societies become corrupt? And how do governments founded upon the defense of individual rights degenerate into tyranny? These …