As I mentioned at the conclusion of my previous post, I will begin exploring some of the ideas of the great Jean-Jacques Rousseau next week; in the meantime, below is an amusing quote from Rousseau’s nemesis, Voltaire. By way of background, Rousseau had written an extended essay entitled The Discourse on the Origin of Inequality among Men (often referred to as the “Second Discourse”) in 1755. Among other things, Rousseau describes man as naturally good before he was corrupted by the institution of private property. After reading the Second Discourse, Voltaire began his celebrated reply to Rousseau as follows:

I have received, sir, your new book against the human species, and I thank you for it…. no one has ever been so witty as you are in trying to turn us into brutes: to read your book makes one long to go on all fours.