Rousseau argues that humans were originally good and free, but became corrupted and unhappy through the development of society and civilization. His ideas offer the possibility of restoring nature and building a more egalitarian society through education, and they offer important lessons for the modern world.
“Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s ideas start with the following premise “In his natural state, man was good, free, and happy, but with the advent of society and civilization, man became evil, lost his freedom, and became unhappy.” These ideas were revolutionary in the society of his time and required a deep reflection on human nature. Rousseau believed that humans were born free and equal, and in this state, they were able to live according to the laws of nature without external oppression or conflict. However, over time, with the development of civilization, humans began to drift away from this state of nature, resulting in misery and corruption.
Rousseau articulates this view in one of his most famous works, Emile, Or Treatise on Education에서. At the beginning of the book, he declares “All things in this world are good when they come out of the hands of the Creator, but they are corrupted when they come into the hands of man. Man endeavors to cultivate in one land the produce of another, and to make one tree bear the fruit of another. Man mixes up climates, environments, and seasons. We do not leave anything in its natural state.” Sentences like this symbolize how humans have become corrupted by defying the laws of nature and trying to change the world through artificial means.
“According to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in the state of nature, humans took as much as they needed and nothing more, and they did not harm others. We even had an instinctive desire to help others, but with the dawn of cognition, our desires expanded beyond our needs. This selfish desire led to the formation of the private property system, which in turn led to the emergence of an unequal society. In other words, selfish desire led to the corruption of man, and society was filled with confrontation and conflict between people.
Rousseau criticized this degradation of human beings and society, and argued that the goodness and purity of human beings should be restored. He saw the return to the natural state of human beings as an active alternative to overcome the absurdities of modern society, not simply a retrospective call to return to the past. From this perspective, Rousseau wrote Emile, Or Treatise on Education이, and believed that through education, we can restore human nature and, by extension, build a more just and equal society.
The book Emile, Or Treatise on Education was written to provide a prescription for these ills of man and society. The prescription is, in a word, to restore man to his lost nature: to return man to his natural state, to his primal infinity, and to create a society in which he can live in goodness, freedom, and happiness. Rousseau saw this transformation as possible through education, which he saw as a way of preserving and expressing human nature in its fullness, not simply as a means of transmitting knowledge.
This is illustrated in the story of Emile, an imaginary child who grows into an ideal human being according to the educational program designed by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The principle of this education is to follow the process of human beings in their natural state as they help themselves mentally and physically while maintaining their original innocence. Therefore, knowledge is taught only to the extent necessary for practical life, and children are encouraged to observe or freely engage in active experiences according to the development of their minds and bodies. In this way, the child can grow into a moral human being with honesty and virtue while remaining free. This reflects his view of humanity, which emphasizes man in his natural state.
Rousseau also emphasizes the role of parents and educators in this process. He argues that parents and educators should respect the autonomy of children and allow them to observe their natural development without interfering with it. In his view, the purpose of education is not simply to create functional human beings who can adapt to society, but to help individuals realize the full potential of their nature.
“Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s call for a return to nature sounds like a hollow cry. “Too much of human history has already progressed for us to return to the nature of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. However, Rousseau’s view of human beings as inherently infinite makes sense. His ideals of humanity that promotes bonds between humans and practicing equality are even more relevant today, when we are often driven by greed.
In the modern world, Rousseau’s ideas still offer important lessons. His ideas can be interpreted not only as a longing for a state of nature that we have lost, but also as an effort to recapture the essence of what it means to be human. Today’s social inequality and environmental problems may be solved, as Rousseau suggests, through harmony with nature and the recovery of human nature. In this sense, Rousseau’s ideas are not just a philosophy of the past, but have a message for the present and the future.
