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Quotation from Discourse on the Origin of Inequality by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
“It is therefore certain that pity is a natural sentiment, which, by moderating in every individual the activity of self-love, contributes to the mutual preservation of the whole species.”
Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, First Part, trans. Anonymous (Harvard Classics, 1910)
The conclusion of Rousseau's argument, against Hobbes, that natural man has a principle of compassion prior to reason.
Citation: "It is therefore certain that pity is a natural sentiment, which, by moderating in every individual the activity of self-love, contributes to the mutual preservation of the whole species." — Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, First Part, trans. Anonymous (Harvard Classics, 1910). (id rousseau-discourse-on-inequality-q4)
Portrait: Portrait of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), Maurice Quentin de La Tour, Public domain.
