TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
Part I
ROUSSEAU ON EDUCATION
Chapter
ONE. THE PROBLEM OF INTERPRETATION 2
I. Rousseau: A Continuum of Views 2
II. Emile: The Question of Scope 8
III. Prospectus 14
PART II
EMILE: THE STRUCTURE OF ARGUMENT
TWO. NATURAL MAN 17
I. Rousseau's Introduction 17
II. Book I: Growth 29
THREE. NATURAL MAN AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION 38
I. Book II: Sensation 38
II. Book III: Reason 48
FOUR. NATURAL MAN IN SOCIETY — BOOK IV: MORALITY 57
FIVE. NATURAL MAN IN SOCIETY — BOOK V: LOVE 82
PART III
EMILE AS A LIBERAL EDUCATION
SIX. EDUCATIONAL ARGUMENT INTO EDUCATIONAL INQUIRY 94
I. Rousseau's Manner of Thought 94
II. Education: Universal Art of Action 101
III. Implications 109
APPENDIX. SCHEMATIC OUTLINE OF EMILE 117
BIBLIOGRAPHY 120
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SUMMARY
Jean-Jacques Rousseau has remained an influential, if troublesome, figure in the history of ideas for a quarter of a millennium. The bitterness of the controversy and the extremes of position taken with regard to his life and work in general have been reflected, not surprisingly, in attitudes toward his educational ideas. A problem of interpretation thus arises: does some way exist by which one can conduct an inquiry into Rousseau's meaning without engaging, at least initially, in unnecessary controversial debate?
This analysis conducts such an inquiry into his educational thought by examining his Emile, or On Education. Using a technique of topical analysis suggested primarily by the work of Richard McKeon, the book explores the structure of argument of the work as a whole. To reveal that structure, special attention is given to the heuristic topics of, first, principle—Rousseau's beginning points, the most fundamental assumptions upon which he bases his thought—second, method—the way in which he moves from point to point in the argument, the connections he makes between issues—and, third, interpretation—the conclusions at which he arrives with regard to the nature both of our experience and of the world. Giving focus to this approach is the examination of a single term, freedom, which is traced through the whole text.
This reading of Emile develops an intellectual analysis built upon a series of commonplace distinctions, namely, whole/part, active/passive, internal/external, and common/proper; furthermore, this structure demonstrates that Emile is a coherent and comprehensive analysis of education which forms an intelligible whole. This view contrasts sharply with previous interpretations of the work on one or more of four general points. First, many commentators deny the work forms an intelligible whole. Second, most criticisms misunderstand Rousseau’s equivocal, contextual use of language, a stylistic feature which, when joined with his use of paradox and example, reveals a necessary relation to his conception of his content. Third, few analyses view education as the central issue of the work, choosing instead issues such as theology, psychology, or anthropology. Finally, little if any discussion has noted that Rousseau is arguing for a liberal education, however different than that normally recognized to be such.
This investigation of the structure of argument also shows clearly Rousseau's habitual manner of thinking about education, which is here characterized as a rhetorical education. Moreover, this book concludes that such a rhetorical education has validity beyond Rousseau's particular circumstances and can even serve as a guide to inquiry into current educational problems, one that is pragmatic, teacher-oriented, and appropriate to a variety of circumstances and societies.
Education and Freedom in Roussseau's Emile
by David B. Owen (2015)