They get caught up in the pressures of trying to conform to the expectations of society. Their personalities therefore change, almost to the point of non-recognition. .
In their quest to achieve material things, a modern man in today's society misses or forgets the essence of who he really is. Rousseau states, "Since men enjoyed very great leisure, they used it to procure many kinds of commodities unknown to their fathers "(147). He believes that the very tools and instruments that give us an advantage also weaken us. Not only do they make man less sufficient, but new discoveries or innovations can also bring about new disease, ailments, and bad habits. Rousseau claims that the modern man's quest for material power, or virtue, creates inequality among humanity by making some individuals subservient to others in order to fulfill the desire for power and luxury. Modern man tries to use reason in order to gain virtue, but instead, reason has resulted in social inequality and vice. Rousseau argues that reason should be the cure to social inequality, but instead becomes the disease. Rousseau also suggests that in modern society, men are unequal because of a dependency and a lack of freedom. Those with power, status, and control can manipulate others into a subservient lifestyle. This is a lifestyle where one cannot act on their own will or freedom, but instead they must act as requested by a more powerful being. The problem with this is that such a person must constantly be worried about communal status, and is constantly under social pressures.
Therefore, in his argument, Rousseau suggests it would be much more beneficial if we lowered the moral and expectations bar for society so that humans could live more freely. He proposes a natural life where we live simply for basic needs, and where love and competition serve to benefit, and not hurt others as they do the modern man.
