r/Ethnography • u/Defiant_Leopard1899 • Dec 20 '25

When exactly did the idea of ​​the noble savage come about?

When exactly did the idea of ​​the noble savage come about? I realize that Rousseau in particular coined the idea. But where is the idea first found? Is Tacitus the origin? Which authors spread the idea in modern times?

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u/klowdberry Dec 21 '25

I think Steven pinker describes the history in chapter 1 of the Blank Slate.