Chapter 3, A Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Dedication and Preface Summary and Analysis

Rousseau begins the dedication by thanking his sovereign lords for the opportunity to reflect on the origin of inequality. He states that if he could have chosen where he was born, he would prefer a land where everyone was equal to his occupation, a state where all individuals are well-known to each other, and that has love of country. It would be a land where the interests of the sovereign and the people were one. Rousseau wants to live and die free.

Rousseau wishes to live in a community where no one is above the law and that everyone would recognize the authority of the state. He is worried about republican forms of government because the government and society can have...