Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote A Discourse Upon the Origin and the Foundations of Inequality Among Men in 1754 for a contest on the topic sponsored by the Académie de Dijon.  It is sometimes called The Second Discourse, as it was a continuation of ideas put forth in his Discourse on the Arts and Sciences, often called The First Discourse, which took the first prize in a previous competition in 1750 and brought Rousseau significant recognition. In it Rousseau discusses two types of inequality: natural inequality, based on physical differences of the body, and moral inequality, which derives from the differences in wealth, rank, power, and perceived merit found in civil society. He dismisses natural inequality in his argument as it is not responsible for the inequality found in civil society. He describes the ideal as the “natural man” who has an instinct for self-preservation (amour de soi meme), a natural aversion to suffering, and an inclination to avoid conflict with others. Interestingly, this natural man lacks reason as well as language and society, but can learn through observation. Once natural man associates with others and becomes civilized, certain attributes emerge. Individuals compare themselves with others, a sense of self develops along with the notion of self esteem (amour propre), which leads to pride and rivalry and, inevitably, the establishment of private property, which Rousseau considers the locus of all corruption and the root of moral inequality. Certainly food for thought as we grapple with identical issues in the present day.

"The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple enough to believe him, was the true founder of civil society"

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