Theoretical anthropology of inequality caused by private property in the political economy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1778-1712), a French philosopher and theorist, is considered one of the most influential thinkers of the Enlightenment era. In one of his most prominent works, Rousseau clearly declares that there is a direct connection between inequality and private property as the first sin of inequality. Now, this research, which relies on the theory of contradiction and conflict in terms of its fundamental theoretical content and in terms of its critical methodology, tries to answer the question, what are the elements and components of Rousseau's theoretical anthropology, and how can it be generalized and interpreted with the roots of inequality in Rousseau's political economy? The result of this research shows that although Rousseau's approach to private property in the essay on political economy and Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality seems different, the roots of human moral/social inequality should be found in the components of his theoretical anthropology, especially natural man and civil man with key concepts such as self-love, pity and compassion, as well as the fundamental differences in his attitude towards the natural state, primitive man and civilized man (compared to the teachings of the Catholic Church, Hobbes' theory of the natural state and Locke's civil state). The realm of inequality should be sought from God and the individual towards law and society.     Keywords: theoretical anthropology, inequality, civil status, private property, Jean-Jacques Rousseau Keywords: theoretical anthropology, inequality, civil status, private property, Jean-Jacques Rousseau