Almost two months ago, precisely on 28th June, the Swiss writer Jean Jacques Rousseau would complete 310 years old. So this post is a tribute to him. He propelled political and ethical thinking into new dimensions. He strongly believed in the power of education for the whole development of the young. He knew that for a good development for a city, state or nation, it is a sharing development, and to achieve this, an good education, and an ethical, inclusive and democratic politics are essential. This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Jacques_Rousseau. The second was published at https://bigthink.com/thinking/rousseau-philosophy-explained/. The third was published at https://www.educationalguruji.com/2022/01/rousseau-educational-philosophy.html
Jean Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolution and the development of modern political, economic and educational thought. His 'Discourse on Inequality' andf 'The Social Contract' are cornerstones in modern political and social thought. During the period of the French Revolution, Rousseau was the most popular of the philosopher among members of the Jacobin Club. Rousseau was born in Geneva, which was at the time a city-state. The city was ruled by the"Council of Two Hundred", these delegated their power to a 25-member executive group from among them called the "Little Council". There was much political debate within Geneva, extending down to the tradespeople. In 1707, a democratic reformer named Pierre Fatio protested saying, "a sovereign that never performs an act of sovereignty is an imaginary being". He was shot by order of the Little Council. Rousseau's grandfather supported Fatio and was penalized for it. Rousseau had been an indifferent student, but during his 20s, he applied himself in earnest to the study of philosophy, mathematics and music. At 25, he came into a small inheritance from his mother and used a portion of it to repay De Warens for her financial support. At 27, he took a job as a tutor in Lyon. The Social Contract outlines the basis for a legitimate political order within a framework of classical republicanism. Published in 1762, it became on of the most influential works of political philosophy in the Western tradition. Rousseau offers a wealth of economic thought in his writings, especially the 'Discourse on Inequality', 'The Social Contract', as well as his constitutional projects for Corsica and Poland. Rousseau's economic theory has been criticised as sporadic and unrigorous by later economists such as Joseph Schumpeter, but has been praised by historians of economic thought for its nuanced view of finance and mature thought on development. Scholars generally accept that Rousseau offers a critique of modern wealth and luxury. Rousseau's philosophy of education concerns itself not with particular techniques of imparting information and concepts, but rather with developing the pupil's character and moral sense, so that he may learn to parctice self-mastery and remain virtuous even in the imperfect society in which he will have to live. Modern political debates often ask how much democracy we should have and what should, and should not, be subject to a vote. Whenever we discuss these issues, we stumble on the famously tricky philosophy of Jean Jacques Rousseau, who argued for democracy, equality, and the greater good nearly 300 years ago. Rousseau wrote his first major essay while living in Paris in 1750. His ideas on education, toleration, state sovereignty, democracy, liberty, and equality have provenj extremely influential. Rousseau suggest that a "legislator, " a person who knows what good laws and morals are, can help people understand what the general will is by either guiding discussion and putting the vague ideas of the people into politically actionable termsd, or by assisting individuals to identify with the common cause that is the general will if they are incapable of doing it themselves. In that case, the magistrates would still follow the general will, but it would not be quite as democratically determined. The hybrid is a model, where citizen-legislators discuss issues and realize why the common good is also their own good when making law. Rousseau is the first man in the world who brought about a remarkable change in the social and political structures of many countries through his sound educational ideas. In fact, his thought-provoking ideas such as liberty, equality and fraternity caused the modification of political systems and the development of sociological tendency in education. As he has revolutionised our thinking in so many ways, he is considered as the father of civilization. He has introduced a new theory and practice of education. He has highlighted the evils of society and wanted to reform it by modifying the process of education according to the needs of individual and society. He is the chief exponent of naturalism which has a great impact on modern education. Rousseau was the first man in the history of mankind to preach the gospel about common man, a great educator of the eighteenth century. Hes lost his mother soon after his birth and was brought up bu his father. His mind was occupied with problems concerning education and government. He settled in Paris in 1741 and became a writer. Rousseau was influenced by the poverty and sufferings of the people. In his publications, he condemned the existing institutions and portrayed the oppression and corruption in the society. He was very much disgusted and disappointed with the political authorities of France and Switzerland. Rousseau, the most influential political as well as educational philosopher, died in 1778. But his profound thoughts such as liberty, equality and fraternity inspired the French Revolution in 1789. The educational views of Rousseau are considered to be new and modern. They are meant to relieve the child from strict discipline, artificial school, social environment, undue control, and rigid methods of teaching. According to Rousseau, education should aim at the fullest development of the child's innate possibilities. Education as such is a life-long process. He states, "to live is not merely to breathe, it is to act, to make use of our organs, senses, our faculties, which give us the feeling of an existence".
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