Discourse on the Origin of Inequality

A powerful, passionate explanation of the roots of social inequality, Rousseau's Discourse influenced virtually every major philosopher of the Enlightenment. It remains among the 18th-century's most provocative and frequently studied works.
A strikingly original inquiry into politics and human nature, the Discourse presents a theoretical view of people in a pre-social condition and the ensuing effects of civilization. In his sweeping account of social and political development, the author develops a theory of evolution that prefigures Darwinism and encompasses aspects of ethics, sociology, and epistemology. One of the most influential works of the Enlightenment, the Discourse on the Origin of Inequality offers both a thought-provoking account of society's origins and a keen criticism of unequal political institutions.