others, without further ceremony ascribing to the…
““others, without further ceremony ascribing to the strongest an authority over the weakest, have immediately struck out government, without thinking of the time requisite for men to form any notion of the things signified by the words authority and government. All of them, in fine, constantly harping on wants, avidity, oppression, desires and pride, have transferred to the state of nature ideas picked up in the bosom of society. In speaking of savages they described citizens. Nay, few of our own writers seem to have so much as doubted, that a state of nature did once actually exit; though it plainly appears by Sacred History, that even the first man, immediately furnished as he was by God himself with both instructions and precepts, never lived in that state, and that, if we give to the books of Moses that credit which every Christian philosopher ought to give to them, we must deny that, even before the deluge, such a state ever existed among men, unless they fell into it by some extraordinary event: a paradox very difficult to maintain, and altogether impossible to prove.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Rousseau argues that the idea of a natural state without authority is a myth, and that societies have always been shaped by power structures and moral teachings.
In simple terms: The notion of a pure “state of nature” is unrealistic.
Key Takeaway
Question the assumptions behind “natural” political states.
Themes
political theory
history
philosophy
Mood
critical
inquisitive
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic debate
- political analysis
- education
- public policy
Key Concepts
social contract
authority
myth of nature
religious influence
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we differentiate myth from historical reality?
- What role do religious texts play in shaping political theory?
A Different Perspective
The claim overlooks archaeological and anthropological evidence of varied pre‑state societies.