VII ON THE NATURAL INEQUALITY OF MEN 303 



other side and as far as the breadth of the road 

 would permit; and, in the rest of his writings 

 to play fast and loose with the two senses of 

 inequality, as convenience might dictate. 



With these preliminary remarks kept well in 

 view, we may proceed to the discussion of those 

 fundamental theses of the "Discourse" and of 

 the "Social Contract" which Rousseau calls the 

 " principes du droit politique." Rousseau defines 

 his object thus : 



Je veux chercher si dans 1'ordre civil il pent y avoir quelque 

 regie d'administration legitime et siire, en prenant les homines 

 tels qu'ils sont et les lois tels qu'elles peuvent etre. Je tacherai 

 d'allier toujours dans cette recherche ce que le droit permet 

 avec ce que 1'interet present, afin que la justice et 1'utilite ne se 

 trouveut point divisees. 1 



In other words, our philosopher propounds 

 " sure," that is " absolute," principles which are, 

 at once ethically and politically, sufficient rules 

 of conduct, and that I understand to be the 

 precise object of all who have followed in his 

 track. It was said of the Genevese theorist, " Le 



1 Conirat Social, livre 1 CT . Compare Hobbes's dedication of 

 Human Mature written in 1640 : " They who have written of 

 justice and policy in general, do all invade each other and 

 themselves with contradictions. To reduce this doctrine to the 

 rules and infallibility of reason there is no way, but, first, put 

 such principles down for a foundation, as passion, not mis- 

 trusting, may not seek to displace ; and afterwards to build 

 thereon the truth of cases in the law of Nature (which hitherto 

 have been built in the air) by degrees, till the whole have been 

 inexpugnable." However, it must be recollected that Hobbes 

 does not start from d priori principles of ethics, but from the 

 practical necessities of men in society. 



