Rousseau: Background & Inequality

Which work first brought Rousseau public fame and controversy?

• Discourse on the Arts and Sciences, published 1749

• The Social Contract, finalized in 1762

• Emile, or On Education, released 1762

• Confessions, drafted late in his life

In Rousseau’s taxonomy, which best describes natural or physical inequality?

• Legal privileges granted by the state

• Unequal wealth, power, and social rank

• Moral desert earned through virtue

• Differences in strength, talent, age, health

What claim does Rousseau make about the origin of moral or political inequality?

• Created by society rather than by nature

• Rooted in biological differences across people

• Fixed by divine law and revelation

• Eliminated through technological progress

Which biographical detail is accurate about Rousseau’s early life?

• Born 1712 in Geneva with modest background

• Raised in Paris by aristocratic patrons

• Born 1694 in Geneva to wealthy merchants

• Educated at Oxford and Cambridge universities

Which thesis best captures Rousseau’s view of humans in the State of Nature?

• Aggressive, competitive, violent from birth

• Peaceful, simple, equal prior to society

• Dependent on law, custom, and coercion

• Rational, calculating, property-seeking always

Identify the turning point that, for Rousseau, accelerated human inequality.

• Rise of centralized monarchies in Europe

• Discovery of agriculture and metallurgy only

• Emergence of language and poetry in tribes

• Development of society with private property

Which characteristic belongs to Rousseau’s "natural man"?

• Morally pure, compassionate, guided by pity

• Ambitious, status-seeking, driven by vanity

• Educated through institutional schooling

• Bound by complex legal and civic duties

Choose the statement that matches Rousseau’s Maxim of Nature.

• Always obey the sovereign and civil law

• Seek honor and glory above bodily needs

• Pursue the greatest good for the greatest number

• Do what is good for yourself with minimal harm

Which description fits Rousseau’s portrayal of life in the State of Nature?

• Organized, legalistic, bureaucratic, hierarchical

• Religious, ritualistic, priest-led, sacrificial

• Urban, commercial, competitive, property-based

• Peaceful, solitary, simple, without greed

Which pair best captures Rousseau’s key natural qualities in the State of Nature?

• Greed and competition

• Amour propre and pride

• Reason and language

• Pity and self-preservation