Rousseau Response

Throughout his work in his Discourse on the Origin of Inequality , Rousseau works to find explanations and perhaps alternate approaches to the aspects of modern society that in his view are the causes of inequality within society. As is noted in the prefix to this second discourse, it is really "an assault on all organized society". He takes a very head on approach as to the essence and essentially the problem with modern society- that is the emergence of private property. He writes, "The first man who enclosed a plot of ground and thought of saying, 'this is mine,' and found others stupid enough to believe him, was the true founder of civil society." It is this statement that really is the basis of most of Rousseau's issues with modern society- a view not foreign to many of the liberal open-minded individuals of the sixties and seventies who were some of the most politically active of this recent generation.

However, what i would like to focus on is Rousseau's emphasis on what he identifies as the two sections of inequality in the human species as i feel that the very existence of the two in his mind, challenge his claims of human nature based on private property. He separates the inequalities into what he calls natural inequality- established by nature and consists in the difference of age, health, bodily strength and qualities of mind or soul. The other is moral inequality- consists in the different privileges enjoyed by some at the expense of others, such as being richer, more honored, more powerful than they, or even causing themselves to be obeyed by them.

To me, with the acknowledgment of the existence and differentiation of these two types of inequality within a society, it seems almost hypocritical to say that for humans to come up with the concept of private property is wrong. For me, it is something to be expected in a society where there are people who are not only naturally stronger than others, but also more intelligent than others that the smart will prosper- as in most cases, they prosper with private property. What else is there to prosper with? A place to call ones own seems to be the ultimate thing to work for in any society and if it isn't, then what does Rousseau say that humans should be working towards?