Ideas from 'Discourse on the Origin of Inequality' by Jean-Jacques Rousseau [1754], by Theme Structure
[found in 'The Basic Political Writings' by Rousseau,Jean-Jacques (ed/tr Cress,Donald A.) [Hackett 1987,0-87220-047-7]].
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2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 9. Limits of Reason
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19767
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Reason leads to prudent selfishness, which overrules natural compassion
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11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 1. Knowledge
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19757
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No one would bother to reason, and try to know things, without a desire for enjoyment
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15. Nature of Minds / C. Capacities of Minds / 5. Generalisation by mind
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19760
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General ideas are purely intellectual; imagining them is immediately particular
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19759
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Only words can introduce general ideas into the mind
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18. Thought / D. Concepts / 5. Concepts and Language / a. Concepts and language
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19758
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Language may aid thinking, but powerful thought was needed to produce language
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21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 4. Beauty
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19773
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Without love, what use is beauty?
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22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / b. Rational ethics
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19769
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Rational morality is OK for brainy people, but ordinary life can't rely on that
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22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 1. Goodness / h. Good as benefit
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19752
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If we should not mistreat humans, it is mainly because of sentience, not rationality
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23. Ethics / B. Contract Ethics / 2. Golden Rule
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19768
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The better Golden Rule is 'do good for yourself without harming others'
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23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / f. Compassion
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19766
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The fact that we weep (e.g. in theatres) shows that we are naturally compassionate
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24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 1. A People / a. Human distinctiveness
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19756
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Humans are less distinguished from other animals by understanding, than by being free agents
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24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 1. A People / b. The natural life
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19755
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Most human ills are self-inflicted; the simple, solitary, regular natural life is good
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19762
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Is language a pre-requisite for society, or might it emerge afterwards?
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19763
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I doubt whether a savage person ever complains of life, or considers suicide
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19765
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Savages avoid evil because they are calm, and never think of it (not because they know goodness)
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19779
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Primitive man was very gentle
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19771
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Savage men quietly pursue desires, without the havoc of modern frenzied imagination
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19778
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Leisure led to envy, inequality, vice and revenge, which we now see in savages
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19751
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Our two starting principles are concern for self-interest, and compassion for others
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24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 3. Natural Values / a. Natural freedom
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19774
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A savage can steal fruit or a home, but there is no means of achieving obedience
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24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 3. Natural Values / b. Natural equality
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19772
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In a state of nature people are much more equal; it is society which increases inequalities
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19789
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It is against nature for children to rule old men, fools to rule the wise, and the rich to hog resources
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24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 2. State Legitimacy / a. Sovereignty
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19787
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People accept the right to be commanded, because they themselves wish to command
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24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 5. Culture
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19780
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We seem to have made individual progress since savagery, but actually the species has decayed
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24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 4. Changing the State / c. Revolution
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19747
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Revolutionaries usually confuse liberty with total freedom, and end up with heavier chains
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24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / b. Consultation
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19748
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Plebiscites are bad, because they exclude the leaders from crucial decisions
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24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / c. Direct democracy
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19749
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In a direct democracy, only the leaders should be able to propose new laws
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25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 1. Slavery
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19775
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People must be made dependent before they can be enslaved
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19784
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Enslaved peoples often boast of their condition, calling it a state of 'peace'
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19785
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If the child of a slave woman is born a slave, then a man is not born a man
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25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 5. Freedom of lifestyle
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19746
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Like rich food, liberty can ruin people who are too weak to cope with it
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25. Social Practice / B. Equalities / 1. Grounds of equality
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19786
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Three stages of the state produce inequalities of wealth, power, and enslavement
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25. Social Practice / B. Equalities / 4. Economic equality
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19788
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The pleasure of wealth and power is largely seeing others deprived of them
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25. Social Practice / C. Rights / 4. Property rights
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19777
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Persuading other people that some land was 'owned' was the beginning of society
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19782
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What else could property arise from, but the labour people add to it?
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19781
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Land cultivation led to a general right of ownership, administered justly
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19754
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If we have a natural right to property, what exactly does 'belonging to' mean?
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25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 2. The Law / c. Natural law
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19750
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Writers just propose natural law as the likely useful agreements among people
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25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 3. Punishment / b. Retribution for crime
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19770
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Primitive people simply redressed the evil caused by violence, without thought of punishing
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25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 1. War / e. Peace
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19783
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A state of war remains after a conquest, if the losers don't accept the winners
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25. Social Practice / F. Life Issues / 6. Animal Rights
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19753
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Both men and animals are sentient, which should give the latter the right not to be mistreated
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26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 2. Defining Kinds
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19761
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Men started with too few particular names, but later had too few natural kind names
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27. Natural Reality / G. Biology / 3. Evolution
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19776
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Small uninterrupted causes can have big effects
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