Chapter 5, A Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Part Two Summary and Analysis

Rousseau thinks the man who invented property rights really pulled one over on his fellows but he was also the founder of civil society. Rousseau laments that someone didn't call him out on his lie because it would have saved mankind many calamities. But someone would have invented property anyway.

Rousseau rewinds to note that man's first feeling was of his existence and second of self-preservation. Nature gave him what he needed and instinct helped him use it. Natural sentiment led to sex, reproduction and family. The life of man was limited to sensation. But as the number of men grew, so did men's interests. Scarcity arose and new tools were invented, like the fishing rod and the arrow. Men's interests began to...