Jean Jacque Rousseau, one of the great philosophers of the French enlightenment, was born in Geneva, Switzerland, and raised by an aunt and uncle, after his mother died days after his birth. At the age of thirteen he was apprenticed to an engraver, but ran away three years later, eventually becoming the secretary for Madame Louise de Warens, who influenced his life and writings. In 1742, Rousseau went to Paris, where he became a friend of Denis Diderot, a French philosopher and the writer of Encyclopedie, the "bible" of the Enlightenment.
Rousseau was a creative writer and used everything from opera to novels and romances to explain his philosophy. He believed that human beings are inherently good, but are corrupted by the evils of society. He considered science, art and social institutions to be a part of what corrupts. He believed that the only way to get back to that goodness that …show more content…
"We are born weak, we need strength; helpless we need aid; foolish we need reason. All that we lack at birth, all that we need when we come to man’s estate, is the gift of education." His novel Emile emphasizes how allowing free expression and a focus on the environment instead of repressing curiosity will produce a well-balanced, freethinking child. He also believed that women needed to be educated as well as men, but in different directions. Women, according to Rousseau, were not meant to be brought up ignorant and only allowed to do housework. "Nature means them to think, to will, to love cultivate their minds as well as their persons; she [Nature] puts these weapons in their hands to make up for their lack of strength and to enable them to direct the strength of men. They should learn many things, but only such things as suitable." Rousseau was not only remarkable because he believed that a child's education should be focused on his/her interests, but also because he believed that women need to learn more than simply domestic
Rousseau was a creative writer and used everything from opera to novels and romances to explain his philosophy. He believed that human beings are inherently good, but are corrupted by the evils of society. He considered science, art and social institutions to be a part of what corrupts. He believed that the only way to get back to that goodness that …show more content…
"We are born weak, we need strength; helpless we need aid; foolish we need reason. All that we lack at birth, all that we need when we come to man’s estate, is the gift of education." His novel Emile emphasizes how allowing free expression and a focus on the environment instead of repressing curiosity will produce a well-balanced, freethinking child. He also believed that women needed to be educated as well as men, but in different directions. Women, according to Rousseau, were not meant to be brought up ignorant and only allowed to do housework. "Nature means them to think, to will, to love cultivate their minds as well as their persons; she [Nature] puts these weapons in their hands to make up for their lack of strength and to enable them to direct the strength of men. They should learn many things, but only such things as suitable." Rousseau was not only remarkable because he believed that a child's education should be focused on his/her interests, but also because he believed that women need to learn more than simply domestic