AUDIO BOOK

This philosophical essay was begun in 1753 and published in 1755, in response to a subject of the Academy of Dijon entitled: "What is the origin of inequality among men, and whether it is authorized by natural law?" Along with the Social Contract , it is one of the central works of the author's political thought. Rousseau sets out his conception of the state of nature, of human perfectibility, and presents private property as the source of all inequalities. *