Uiui

The artifical refers to the specifically socially or conventional aspects of reality – the conditions of human life that are contrived or invented by human beings themselves”(Smith, 1998:10). Thismeans that people themselves are responsible for creating the social inequalities that exist within society. “Rousseau’s contrast of the ‘noble savage’ with ‘civilized man’ illustrates this conception;the former exists in a state of nature that provides everything necessary to a free and happy existence, while the latter is enslaved by all sorts of artificial wants and desires”(Smith, 1998:10).Thus, this comparison that Rousseau uses illustrates clearly that social inequalities is a result of social development. The ‘noble savage’ as Rousseau refers to, is not bounded by the artificial socialinequalities that contrain the ‘civilized man’. Rousseau’s critical view of society is based upon his theory that the social inequalities existing in society conflict with the laws of nature.“Rousseau declared that it is plainly contrary to the law of nature…that the priviledged few should gorge themselves with superfluities, while the starving multitude are in want of the bare necessities oflife”(Smith, 1998:10). These problems did not exist for the ‘noble savage’, however, the ‘civilized man’ lives in a society that creates and perpetuates social inequalities amongst its members. Rousseaustates that, “society creates more compex needs and therefore a more complex humanity than that found in the state of nature”(Smith, 1998:16). Thus people are responsible for creating artificialdifferences among themselves. Adam Smith and Jean Jacques Rousseau view society from different perspectives. Smith concentrates his attention on economics and individual development, whereas, Rousseaudiscusses the consequences of social inequalities that have arisen from social development. Smith advocates self-interest as a means for the society to develop and prosper, and in contrast, Rousseau...