Origins: Stage II

Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Rousseau takes a critical look at the tenets of liberal society developed as a result of the Enlightenment. Particularly, he examines the social contract and suggests it can be conducive to inequality. He posits that there are forms of property that are detrimental, these cause men to become subjugates in one way or another. Our society is predicated on Lockean principles of life, liberty, and property, the latter has become a crucial piece in determining the pursuit of happiness in our American society. The danger is letting property own our happiness.

Property, though beneficial for the conveniences of life, becomes a detriment when it claims a predominant place in our life. Property is not a true manifestation of happiness, instead we should strive to replace it with the joy derived from things that are not temporal.