Order as ‘degree’ and the place of man in the system of beings

To understand more fully Rousseau's theory of political order, it is first necessary to make a careful analysis of what he means by disorder. This analysis will make it possible to see the problem of inequality in a fresh light. In this connection it will be helpful to focus once more on the idea of order. For Rousseau ‘order’ does not only mean harmony and the mutual support of all the parts for the common good and the preservation of the system to which they belong. The term ‘order’ also connotes ‘degree’, ‘place’, ‘rank’, and lastly the allocation of each part of the whole, whether it be a person or some other sentient being, to a position which is right and fitting. It is precisely in the light of this conception of order that the theory of inequality reveals its various dimensions and its theoretical richness. La Nouvelle Héloise provides a particularly clear example of the relation between ‘order’ and ‘place’. The relevant text is the one where Mme de Wolmar, in the middle of a discussion on the education of children, remarks: ‘Everything happens for the best in the system of the universe. Everyone has his proper place in the ideal order of things; the important thing is to find that place and avoid upsetting that order.’

There is a passage in the Profession de foi du vicaire Savoyard where Rousseau uses the terms ‘place’ and ‘rank’ to depict the disorder which rules in human affairs.