“ A bad man, he says, is a robust child. But it remains to be proved whether man in a state of nature is this robust child: and, should we grant that he is, what would he infer? Why truly, that if this man, when robust and strong, were dependent on others as he is when feeble, there is no extravagance he would not be guilty of ”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Among Men (1755). copy citation
| Author | Jean-Jacques Rousseau |
|---|---|
| Source | Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Among Men |
| Topic | state |
| Date | 1755 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by G. D. H. Cole |
| Weblink | https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Discourse_on_the_Origin_of_Inequality_Amo... |
Context
“He does say the exact opposite, in consequence of having improperly admitted, as a part of savage man's care for self-preservation, the gratification of a multitude of passions which are the work of society, and have made laws necessary. A bad man, he says, is a robust child. But it remains to be proved whether man in a state of nature is this robust child: and, should we grant that he is, what would he infer? Why truly, that if this man, when robust and strong, were dependent on others as he is when feeble, there is no extravagance he would not be guilty of; that he would beat his mother when she was too slow in giving him her breast; that he would strangle one of his younger brothers, if he should be troublesome to him, or bite the arm of another, if he put him to any inconvenience.”
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