ROUSSEAU, JEAN-JACQUE (1712-1778)

Contrary to mediaeval excessive emphasis on the metaphysical cross-currents of man’s nature, Rousseau taught that human nature is good and does not need any metaphysical perfection. He maintained that education should not begin withthe child’s contact with the society, which according to him is complex and artificial, tainting and corrupting the nature of the child. Frost (1962:221) writes that:

Everything is good as it comes from the hands of the Author of Nature, but everything degenerates in the hands of man…the (man) will leave nothing as nature mode it, not even man. Like a saddlehorse that must be trained for man’s service, hemust be made over according to his peace, like atree in his garden7()()

What Rousseau is saying is that education should protect the child from the society at all times until he is so completely developed that the society cannot destroy his inner nature618. All children by nature are perfectly good; ready to learn from their natural environment so as to grow into virtuous and responsible adults. Contextually he wrote: “No other teacher than the world; no other teacher than things”. “Fix your eyes on nature. Follow the path she trends”.

In his epoch making work, Emile he exemplified this idea that the child is educated in a manner, which is natural and spontaneous. Thus, in contrast to social emphasis on the bringing up of a child, Rousseau championed naturalistic trend in education.