Self-love, pity, and amour-propre: The place of feeling in Rousseau’s Second Discourse

Abstract

This article examines the role of the feelings of self-love (amour de soi), pity, and vanity-driven self-love (amour-propre) in Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men. The aim is to clarify how these feelings contribute to understanding the transition from the state of nature to civil society, and to what extent they may act as moral restraints against human degeneration in social life. The study begins with the analysis of the state of nature, in which amour de soi and pity guide self-preservation and spontaneous solidarity. It then explores the Golden Age, an intermediate stage in which the emergence of language, community life, and early affective bonds leads to the rise of amour-propre. Finally, it addresses the civil state, characterized by the strengthening of amour-propre and the weakening of amour de soi and pity, resulting in vanity, rivalry, and inequality. The article argues that, although a return to the natural state is impossible, amour de soi and pity remain as potential ethical regulators of social life, offering alternatives to resist the logic of appearances, competition, and narcissism in contemporary society. Rousseau’s critique thus proves to be remarkably relevant today, highlighting the importance of cultivating sentiments as a path toward more egalitarian and supportive coexistence.