Kyle Harrison
to-read
Discourse on the Origin of Inequality
Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men
- Author
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- Published
- 1755
- Recommended
- Once
Why it’s on the list: The argument that inequality is an artifact of society rather than nature, and that property is where it begins. Rousseau’s Confessions (1782) is the adjacent read from the same list.
Where I saw it: Peter Savodnik’s April 2026 post telling readers to work through Plato, Aristotle, Shakespeare, Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau — “To start.” Kyle saved it to his “Books To Read” note; this card is one of the twelve volumes that canon reduces to.
Connections
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau — from the same canon list.
- Inequality — from the same canon list.