Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality among Men by Jean-Jacques Rousseau with Related Documents

by Rousseau, Jean Jacques; Rosenblatt, Helena

• ISBN13: 9780312468422
• ISBN10: 0312468423
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781319242701
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-10-13
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's
• More Book Details

Summary

A provocative essay that challenged the superiority of civilized society and modern government, Jean-Jacques Rousseau'sDiscourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequalitymade him an outcast among fellow Enlightenment thinkers but stands today as one of the most important political texts in Western history. Helena Rosenblatt's new translation, introduction, and selection of related documents help students comprehend why Rousseau's criticisms of human nature, political hierarchy, and private property were so controversial in his time yet later were hailed as a foundation of democracy. The introduction explores life experiences that shaped Rousseau's philosophy, explains contemporary ideas about political authority and social order, and guides students through Rousseau's thought, including explanations of how his work anticipated theories about evolution and inspired leaders of the French Revolution. Related primary documents -- including a selection from Rousseau'sSocial Contract-- situate Rousseau's ideas in contemporary political and social thought. Questions for consideration, a chronology of Rousseau's life and work, and a selected bibliography enrich students' understanding of the man and his times.

Author Biography

Helena Rosenblatt (Ph.D., Columbia) is a professor of history at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. A specialist in European intellectual history, she is the author of Liberal Values: Benjamin Constant and the Politics of Religion (2008) and Rousseau and Geneva: From the First Discourse to the Social Contract, 1749-1762 (1997), and she is the editor of The Cambridge Companion to Constant (2009).

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. v
Preface	p. vii
A Note about the Text and Translation	p. ix
Introduction: The Life and Thought of Jean-Jacques Rousseau	p. 1
Rousseau's Beginnings: The Road to the Second Discourse	p. 2
The Origins of Political Authority	p. 7
Rousseau's Bombshell: The Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality among Men	p. 10
Rousseau's Later Life and Legacy	p. 19
Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality among Men by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Citizen of Geneva	p. 27
Dedication	p. 27
Preface	p. 36
Notice about the Notes	p. 40
First Part	p. 45
Second Part	p. 70
[Notes]	p. 95
Related Documents	p. 129
Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture, 1709	p. 129
Leviathan, 1651	p. 133
On the Duty of Man and Citizen according to Natural Law, 1673	p. 135
Two Treatises of Government, 1690	p. 137
Discourse on the Nature of Animals, 1753	p. 139
Of the Social Contract, 1762	p. 141
Eulogies to Rousseau, 1790s	p. 145
The Principles of Politics, 1810	p. 147
Appendixes
A Jean-Jacques Rousseau Chronology (1712-1794)	p. 149
Questions for Consideration	p. 151
Selected Bibliography	p. 153
Index	p. 157
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