What is liberty? What is the relation between liberty, luxury, and “commercial society” more generally? And in what ways does commerce and the pursuit of luxury promote or hinder liberty? Among other things, I recently read Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (1754) to prepare for an Adam Smith reading group led by Edward J. Harpham, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Texas (Dallas campus), to discuss these fundamental questions of political and moral philosophy with Professor Harpham and a small circle of fellow scholars. It suffices to say that I found this work to be one of the most compelling pieces of literature I have ever read. I will therefore be reviewing G. D. H. Cole’s translation of Rousseau’s Discourse, available here, in the days ahead as follows:
- Dedication to the Republic of Geneva (pp. 1-7) — Thursday, Jan. 18
- Preface (pp. 7-10) — Friday, Jan. 19
- Opening paragraphs of “A Dissertation on the Origin and Foundation of the Inequality of Mankind” (pp. 11-12) — Friday, Jan. 19
- The First Part (pp. 12-29) — Monday, Jan. 22
- The Second Part (pp. 29-47) — Tuesday, Jan. 23
- The Appendix (pp. 47-51) — Wednesday, Jan. 24
prior probability 