Rousseau: A Life of Self-Taught Genius

Rousseau: Introduction

• Rousseau was born in Geneva in 1712 and died in 1778.
• He came from a middle-class family, and his father was a saddler.
• Despite receiving little formal education, he was a self-taught genius of the Age of Enlightenment.
• He tutored sons of noblemen and wrote the influential work "Emile", which brought him fame but also led to his banishment by the Paris Theology Faculty.

Rousseau: Philosophy

• Rousseau believed in living in harmony with nature and that education should direct children towards goodness.
• He emphasized the importance of focusing on the nature of the child in the educational process.
• According to Rousseau, children should be treated as children and not educated like grown-ups.

Rousseau: Emile'

• "Emile'" is a fictitious account of an educational experiment on a young child, describing education suitable for Rousseau's ideal society.
• The work made a significant contribution to shifting the focus from teacher to student.
• "Emile'" promoted a feeling for childhood, which eventually led to the concept of the nuclear family.
• Rousseau opposed the overindulgence of children by parents, which he believed hindered their development.

Rousseau's Threefold Meaning of Nature

• The first and fundamental meaning of nature is the social one, which emphasizes the importance of understanding the true nature of the person.
• Education must be guided by the laws of children's own nature, and society must bow down to it.
• A natural person is not a savage one, and when interacting with others, their nature is influenced by nurture.

Psychological Significance

• Nature is defined as instinctive judgments, primitive emotions, and natural instincts of humans.
• Human actions should be based on these instincts, emotions, and judgments.
• To understand these, one must delve into the psychology behind them.
• Psychological nature is more significant than social interactions.

Development of Habits

• A child should not develop habits born of social interactions, but rather adhere to instinct and emotions.
• The only habit a child should be allowed to develop is 'no habit whatsoever'.

Phenomenal or Physical Significance

• Education should be imparted in natural surroundings for a fuller and deeper impact on students.
• Rousseau believed that nature is the best teacher, and cities are the graves of civilizations.

Rousseau's Views on Women Education

• Rousseau discusses women's education at the end of Emile'.
• He believes that the man that Emile' has become after being educated needs an educated wife.
• Education for women should be relative to men, aiming to please them and be useful to them.
• Women should be given adequate bodily training for physical charm and producing vigorous offspring.
• They should be taught domestic skills, obedience, and industriousness, as well as singing, dancing, and other traits.