“ Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. One man thinks himself the master of others, but remains more of a slave than they are. ”
Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy (1945). copy citation
| Author | Bertrand Russell |
|---|---|
| Source | A History of Western Philosophy |
| Topic | chains master |
| Date | 1945 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/History%20of%20Western%20Philosoph... |
Context
“This love of the City State is, in my opinion, not sufficiently emphasized in most accounts of Rousseau’s political philosophy.
Although the book as a whole is much less rhetorical than most of Rousseau’s writing, the first chapter opens with a very forceful piece of rhetoric: Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. One man thinks himself the master of others, but remains more of a slave than they are. His conception of the Social Contract seems, at first, analogous to Locke’s, but soon shows itself more akin to that of Hobbes. In the development from the state of nature, there comes a time when individuals can no longer maintain themselves in primitive independence; it then becomes necessary to self-preservation that they should unite to form a society.” source
Although the book as a whole is much less rhetorical than most of Rousseau’s writing, the first chapter opens with a very forceful piece of rhetoric: Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. One man thinks himself the master of others, but remains more of a slave than they are. His conception of the Social Contract seems, at first, analogous to Locke’s, but soon shows itself more akin to that of Hobbes. In the development from the state of nature, there comes a time when individuals can no longer maintain themselves in primitive independence; it then becomes necessary to self-preservation that they should unite to form a society.” source
