Items related to Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (Oxford World's...

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

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques; Philip, Franklin

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9780199555420: Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (Oxford World's Classics)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0199555427 ISBN 13: 9780199555420
Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2009

Synopsis

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 unparalledled 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 Englightment, and it is one of the most provocative and influential works of the eighteenth 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.

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About the Author

Franklin Philip is the prize-winning translator of numerous French texts. Patrick Coleman is the author of Rousseau's Political Imagination (1984).

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Publisher
Oxford University Press
Publication date
2009
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0199555427
ISBN 13 
9780199555420
Binding
Paperback
Edition number
1
Number of pages
127
Editor
Coleman Patrick
Rating
  • 3.78 out of 5 stars
    19,792 ratings by Goodreads