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6 Susan DunnThe notion of a state of nature was a useful fiction. It furnished Rousseauwith theoretical ‘‘evidence’’ for claiming a radical dichotomy between ourpresent demeaning condition and the Eden we left behind. Here was anoriginal standard against which all future human dislocation could bemeasured.This vision of the state of nature, moreover, provided Rousseau with abasis for his belief in human ‘‘perfectibility.’’ Now he could argue that ifmodern individuals appeared corrupt, unequal, and enslaved, it is society—not human nature—that is to blame. Thus a remedy to the situation mightbe found. Because of people’s vast rational and ethical potential, it was possibleand reasonable to propose an alternate route for their social, political,and moral development. This was the challenge Rousseau accepted: he wasconvinced that it was his mission to chart that course, not backward to thestate of nature, but forward toward a more rational, social, and moral Eden.Given our equality and freedom in the state of nature, why did inequalitycome to define the human condition in most societies? How would Rousseauexplain entire civilizations under the spell of servitude and the yoke ofdespotism?Very early in human history, according to Rousseau’s hypothetical scenario,people began to work and collaborate occasionally with one another.This was the beginning of a long golden age that saw the appearance offamily units and patriarchal authority but not yet of private property. Husbandsand wives, parents and children dwelled together under one roof,experiencing the ‘‘sweetest sentiments’’ known to human beings, ‘‘conjugaland paternal love.’’ Each family resembled a ‘‘little society’’ in which memberswere united by mutual affection and liberty. There was commerceamong the different families; human faculties, social rituals, and a sense ofmorality evolved somewhat, all contributing to ‘‘the happiest and mostdurable epoch’’ in human history, an interim period ‘‘between the indolenceof the primitive state and the petulant activity of egoism.’’But then came the fall from tranquillity and the downward spiral intohistory and corruption. This period began when people realized that, withrational effort and work, they could transform the natural world. A newintellectual energy was unleashed, destroying the simplicity and harmonythat had reigned in the state of nature between one’s needs and one’s desires.The novel concept of the division of labor also took hold, robbingpeople of their self-sufficiency. Now new technological advances, such asagriculture and metallurgy, were introduced, accompanied by the notion of‘‘private property.’’ People competed for property, increasing their wealth at