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EDUCATION OF CHILDREN.
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Analysis of views on hos best to educate children.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Analysis of views on how best to educate children. Discusses Jean-Jacques Rousseau's theories as expressed in DISCOURSE ON POLITICAL ECONOMY in which he states the concerns of the State should be the primary function of education.; the State must create good, patriotic citizens. Uniformity of thinking should be taught. Compares Rousseau's educational philosophy to Voltaire's view as expressed in the satirical CANDIDE, with its emphasis on the pursuit of truth, not uniformity.
Paper Introduction:
Jean-Jacques Rousseau's views on the education of children, as expressed in his Discourse on Political Economy, are based on his belief that the stability of society is paramount and that the truth, whatever it might be and wherever it might lead, is secondary at best, and even dangerous to society. Accordingly, he favors an educational system which is run by the state and which places the needs of the state above all other considerations, including the needs of the individual or the rights of parents to educate their children at home. The child is to be raised and educated, according to Rousseau, as an obedient, loyal citizen of the state, and not as an individual human being who was created to seek and find the truth and to develop himself or herself in any way which might contradict the needs of the state. This state-centered education, says Rousseau, should begin with
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This is nonsense. To Voltaire, the only starting point for a philosophy of truth is theacceptance that human life is for the most part a miserable set ofcircumstances. Underlying this was another assumption that the worldis a rational place, where rational beings, if properly educated, couldrationally agree to live rationally together under a rational State basedon rational laws. If aman is not a patriot, he is a slave? Therefore, if the point of education is the creation of good,obedient citizens for the advancement of the goals of the State, whateverthey might be, then only the State can be trusted to produce such acitizen. . Clearly, a man such as Rousseau who wants to churn out Stepford Wife-like patriots is not about to let parents educate their own children, forsuch a process could produce free men as easily as robotic patriotsobedient to Big Brother. in the entire world"(337). Discourse on Political Economy.Voltaire. . Rousseau believes that the new state which he loveswill never make the same mistakes which the old state made. Jean-Jacques Rousseau's views on the education of children, asexpressed in his Discourse on Political Economy, are based on his beliefthat the stability of society is paramount and that the truth, whatever itmight be and wherever it might lead, is secondary at best, and evendangerous to society. This philosophy isclearly nonsense to Voltaire, who uses Pangloss to express its absurdity inthe wake of an exploding volcano which has wrought tremendous destruction:"For, said he, all this is for the best, since if there is a volcano inLisbon, it cannot be somewhere else, since it is unthinkable that thingsshould be where they are, since everything is well" (345). . Rousseau assumes that the individuals living in and benefiting fromthe State will live the best life possible if they agree to be goodcitizens, and they will likely agree to this if they were educated properlyto be good citizens. Rousseau is using newspeak to sell the propaganda that the freeman is the man who has been educated from infancy by the state to beobedient to the dictates of the state and to believe that such mentalslavery is liberty and virtue. Such home schooling couldlead to individuals who think for themselves, who might well decide thatthe State whose policies Rousseau favors and represents is unjust and eviland should even be overthrown through revolution. Even though the book can be said to end on an optimistic note, withCandide tending his garden, it is merely another sign that he has found hisplace as a passive cog in the social machine. . Work CitedRousseau, Jean-Jacques. The question, then, is what is meant by education. 334-4 2.----------------------- 8 Rousseau is sofrightened by the threat of the family to the state that he seeks to teachthe child to see the state as the child's "tender mother who nourishesthem." If that is accomplished, "they will . Candide is theincurable optimist, always believing the best about human beings. Clearly, for Rousseau,the education of the children in the state should be carried out in auniform way which produces not independent thinkers but conforming patriotswho put the needs of the state before their own needs or the needs of theirfamily. His education by Pangloss andhis subsequent experience with the real world of human cruelty have lefthim beaten and unlikely to ever cause the state trouble. The father may die, says Rousseau, but the state remains. He is the kind of man who happily serves as a brick in the wallof the state. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. If he is not a patriot, can he have noliberty? Candide would qualify as a good citizen in the view of Rousseau,because as he is being educated by the fool Pangloss, Candide behavesselflessly, always tries to believe the best about others, does what he istold, obeys the laws, goes to war, and takes his beatings and comes backfor more. . The innocent Candide sees Pangloss,on the other hand, as "the greatest philosopher . In addition, according to Rousseau, the manwho has not been state-educated to surrender his independent thinking is aslave. . The child is to be raised andeducated, according to Rousseau, as an obedient, loyal citizen of thestate, and not as an individual human being who was created to seek andfind the truth and to develop himself or herself in any way which mightcontradict the needs of the state. This excerpt from a diatribe from the old woman aboard shipillustrates the author's position: Ask every passenger on this ship to tell you his story, and if you find a single one who has not often cursed the day of his birth, who has not often told himself that he is the most miserable of men, then you may throw me overboard head first (357). Voltaireapparently agrees with the Turk that tending one's garden "keeps us fromthe three great evils, boredom, vice, and poverty" (4 1). The favorite target of Voltaire is the philosophy which holds thatthe world which exists is the best of all possible worlds and theaccompanying view that everything is for the best. New York: W.W. His educationaltheory is based on the supremacy of the state over the individual and thefamily. . . Of course, Voltaire's message is precisely that everything is notwell, that everything is far from well, and that only a fool would everconsider the preposterous argument that the world is a reasonable place orthat humanity lives in the best of all possible worlds. In arguing these points, Rousseau twists the meanings of words tofit his propaganda needs: There can be no patriotism without liberty, no liberty without virtue, no virtue without citizens; create citizens, and you have everything you need; without them, you will have nothing but debased slaves, from the rulers of the State downwards (Rousseau). Norton, 1992. Candideis instructed in the ways of the world by the philosopher Pangloss, whomVoltaire clearly sees as an utter fool. If he is taught byindependent parents how to be independent, how to value his own self andfamily over the abstraction of the state, he very well may be a threat tothe state as envisioned by the authoritarian Rousseau. If education is a process meant to "create citizens," as Rousseausays, meaning people who are parts of a smoothly running machine (ratherthan individuals able to think and make independent decisions and takeactions based on what is best for themselves and their families), thenclearly home education is a distractionary and even dangerous option whichshould be prohibited. The father and/or mother providing a child a homeeducation might assure such authorities as Rousseau that they wereeducating the child to obey the laws, to serve the State, to think of theState before himself, but the State could not be certain they were tellingthe truth. However, if education is the pursuit of truth and/or beauty in life,wherever it might lead, or individual creativity, or any other goal whichmight stand in contradiction with the restricted goals of the State, thenhome schooling would provide at least that possibility, though there is noguarantee that the parents would be capable of teaching the childeffectively to be either an obedient, conforming patriot or an individual,independent, self-sufficient, thinking human being true to beliefs higherthan the state. This state-centered education, saysRousseau, should begin with laws for infancy, teaching obedience to others: and as the reason of each man is not left to be the sole arbiter of his duties, government ought the less discriminately to abandon to the intelligence and prejudices of fathers the education of their children, as the education is of still greater importance to the State than to the fathers. will nothing contrary tothe will of society" (Rousseau). It is not surprising that he fears home schooling,whereby parents might teach children to think and act as independentbeings. According to Rousseau, then, if the state does not "create citizens"(patriots), then the state will be full of slaves. . Voltaire, on the other hand, in the satirical Candide, critiques bothsociety and humanity with little mercy, exposing the human race's self-deceptions, weaknesses, and corruption. At every disastrous step of his initiation into the harsh reality ofthe world, Candide struggles to maintain the positive outlook which thefoolish Pangloss has nurtured in him. (Rousseau). Voltaire especially mocks the ideathat there is indeed a rational order in the world. Ed.Maynard Mack. Of course,states pass away as well, through revolution, for example, but once the oldstate falls, as it did in the French Revolution, those running the newstate, such as Rousseau, for example, begin to think and speak as if thenew state were eternal. As a result of this philosophy, he would certainly not favor homeschooling, for such schooling could be given by a parent who believes invalues which could lead to trouble for the state. To control the education of a child is to control the way the childsees the world and his part in it, to control the very reality of thechild, so that his behavior reflects his education. be stuckon a spit by the Biglugs" (364). Candide holds tight to the philosophy of optimism even as he andCacambo are apparently about to be cooked and eaten by the savage Biglugs:"All is for the best, I agree; but I must say it is hard to . Accordingly, he favors an educational system which isrun by the state and which places the needs of the state above all otherconsiderations, including the needs of the individual or the rights ofparents to educate their children at home. What Rousseau advocates is not educationbut brainwashing. Candide.
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