Rousseau's notion of envy: A comparison with modern economic theory

Claire Pignol

The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2012, vol. 19, issue 4, 529-549

Abstract: The concept of envy is present both in Rousseau's economic philosophy and in modern economic theory. This paper compares these different uses of the concept and studies the relevance of the definition of envy adopted on each side, taking into account what is at stake when a notion of envy is introduced. It will be shown that Rousseau's envy cannot be expressed by modern conceptions of envy. Nevertheless, it enlightens the debate between the two competing notions of envy present in modern economic theory, revealing that the existence of envy questions the notion of self-interest.

Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1080/09672567.2010.540340

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