Discourse of Inequality part 1

For Part One of Rousseau’s Discourse on Inequality, Rousseau mainly focuses on and, “digs at the roots”, of man’s beginning to show that this beginning has less influence on the social development and the inequality of man than many writers claim. Rousseau examines early man compared to the modern day man of his time. He calls early man “savage man” and modern man “civil man”. Savage man and civil man can be compared to a wild animal and a domestic animal. A house cat is extremely different than a cat in the wild. Savage man is the wild cat and civil man is the domestic. Savage man acts out of instinct. Civil man acts out of free will. According to Rousseau, savage man has no free will. He is no different than an animal. Savage man has all his needs and does not need other human beings. Because of this, nature has done little to bring man together and make him sociable. This was the best time for man since the self- preservation of one did not conflict with the self-preservation of another. Also, pity is evident in all animals, hence evident in savage man, further proving Rousseau’s claim. Rousseau continues his argument by adding that differences in man are from habit and different lifestyles. These aspects of life instituted inequality, not nature. These things were not part of life in the beginning of man since living was much more simple. Man did not need to be social and was not. Once man became sociable, after he developed out of the savage state, then inequality arouse.