Love reading.
Rousseau 17 12 was born in a watchmaker's family in Geneva, Switzerland on June 29th. My father is a skilled watchmaker; My mother is the daughter of a priest, quite smart, dignified and virtuous. His mother died in childbirth. He lost his maternal love at birth. He was brought up by his father and aunt. His elder brother, who is seven years older than him, ran away from home and never came back. Without sound training. In this way, he is the only child left at home.
Rousseau knew when he was sensible that he bought it with his mother's life. His young heart is very sad, and he feels his father's love even more. His father likes reading, which is undoubtedly inherited from him. Rousseau's mother left many novels, and his father often read to each other after supper. Every time you finish reading a volume, you won't give up until you finish reading it. Sometimes I watch it all night. Father heard birds chirping in the morning and said shyly, "Let's go to bed. I am simply more naive than you. " In this case, Rousseau studied day after day, and formed the habit of reading invisibly, gradually enriching and nourishing his young mind.
Seven-year-old Rousseau browsed all the books at home. He also went out to borrow books, such as Le Searle's History of the Church and Empire, Boucher's Lecture on the General History of the World, Plutarch's Biography, Nani's History of Venice, and several plays by Murray. Due to the exemplary influence of these historical figures and the inculcation of his father, Rousseau deeply realized the value of free thought and democratic spirit. He not only has his father's patriotic blood, but also follows the example of these great men, and even often compares himself with those figures in history in words and deeds. One day, he told the story of Chivala at the dinner table. All the people present were surprised to see Rousseau step forward and put his hand on the burning fire to perform Chivala's heroic feat. This precocity and precocity is the first manifestation of Rousseau's unique talent.
Make a living independently
Rousseau's happy childhood soon ended. /kloc-when he was 0/3 years old, my uncle decided to send him to study with Mr. Long and work as a lawyer secretary under him, hoping that he could earn some living expenses. However, Rousseau hates this kind of occupation that lacks interest only for making money. The trivial things every day make him dizzy and unbearable. Mr. Ma Si Lang doesn't seem to like Rousseau very much, and often says that he is lazy and stupid. Rousseau couldn't stand the insult and quit his job.
Soon, Rousseau changed careers and became an apprentice to a sculptor. In view of many lessons he learned as a secretary before, he did as required in this new job without complaint. Rousseau likes this kind of work very much, because he likes painting, waving carving knives is also very interesting, and carving parts does not require too high technology, so he hopes to make outstanding achievements in this respect. One day, Rousseau carved knighthoods for some friends in his spare time. When his master found out, he thought he was counterfeiting silver coins and beat him up. In fact, Rousseau was very young at that time and had no idea about silver coins at all. He just made a model of the shape of a coin in ancient Rome. Due to the tyranny of his master, Rousseau felt pain in his favorite job.
Rousseau's life in his master's house was very unhappy, but it restored his long-lost reading habit. This kind of interest was restricted by the environment at that time and could not develop smoothly, but the more restricted it was, the stronger the interest in learning was. There is a bookseller who runs a bookstore nearby. Rousseau often went there, read books, and sometimes even missed his working hours, and was scolded and punished by his master. In less than a year, Rousseau read all the books in this small shop. Influenced by these books, he corrected many childish temper and bad habits. At the same time, invisibly aroused more noble feelings in his heart. He feels that the environment here is not ideal for sculptors, and everything lacks interest and is unbearable. 16 years old, he left the city, believing that he could live independently and dominate everything freely.
Advocating nature
After Rousseau left the city, he met Mrs. Warren through the introduction of friends. He thinks that Mrs. Warren is an ugly doddering old woman, but she is a young woman with a happy face and full of charm. This made him very surprised and excited. It was this lady who influenced his future life.
Rousseau followed Warren's advice and began a long journey. This also suits his long-standing hobby of roaming. He thinks it is a wonderful thing to have the opportunity to climb mountains and the peaks of the Alps at this age. Along the way, Rousseau was in a very happy mood and there was nothing to worry about. Although the journey is short, Rousseau loves natural scenery and enjoys a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery along the way. He pinned his feelings on nature. Although he wandered, he did not feel empty. Everything that caught Rousseau's attention made him feel an intoxicating enjoyment. The magical, colorful and practical beauty of nature deeply influenced Rousseau's outlook on life.
After that, he traveled many times, and both the beautiful scenery on the journey and the rural life still fascinated him. He loves and respects nature. His greatest teacher is not any kind of book, his teacher is' nature'.
Rousseau loved nature since he was a teenager. This kind of enthusiasm, he took pains to imitate and express in his works. Nature permeated his life. He used some sober and attractive characteristics of Mrs Warren to express himself, which made him fall into intense emotions, especially in his later years, making him similar to the great mystic in the East.
Dabble in music
During the period when Rousseau lived in Mrs Warren's house, he felt very satisfied and happy. Mrs Warren has a soft voice and can play the piano. She often taught Rousseau to sing and cultivated Rousseau's interest in music. Later, Rousseau went to the seminary to study, and Mrs. Warren gave him books on music. Besides studying in a seminary, Rousseau often practices singing with his own music score. Mrs. Warren thinks Rousseau is interested in music and talented, and intends to let him develop in the direction of music. She often held some small concerts at home and introduced Rousseau's knowledge to some composers, which made his music level improve continuously. Later, he kept on self-study and Research, and came up with a Simple notation with numbers instead of notes, that is, using numbers 1234567 instead of scales of Do, re, Mi, Fa, So, La and si, and wrote a book with original ideas, Music Score. At the same time, he also wrote a paper on modern music and brought it to Paris as a gift to the Paris Institute of Science and Art. He wanted to take this opportunity to become famous at one fell swoop. At this time, Rousseau's inspiration was like a spring. He wrote an opera called Discovering the New World, which fully demonstrated his creative talent.
Later, Rousseau took the revised manuscript to the Academy of Sciences and read his paper in public. Its concise content effectively attracted the attention of the Committee members and won favorable comments. He thinks his notation is an innovation and reform in the history of music, but the members don't agree with this opinion. After several discussions, they came to a conclusion that Rousseau's notation can be used for singing, but it is not suitable for playing. In order to comfort Rousseau, the Academy of Art presented him with a certificate of commendation. Rousseau failed, but he was not persuaded. After rearranging the manuscript, he found a willing publisher and published it under the title of Modern Music. Rousseau was full of hope that this music book would cause great repercussions, but the sales volume was very poor, which made Rousseau suffer a heavy blow again. Although he was bent on making innovations in music, hoping to inspire music lovers, the effect was not good, except that a few scholars praised him more, which did not produce any big response.
Award-winning thesis
After leaving Mrs. Warren, Rousseau began to fend for himself, working as a tutor, a clerk and a secretary. At the same time, he made friends with a wide range of people, especially the great philosopher Diderot. Because of their common interests and aspirations, they have established a profound friendship. Both of them were keen on academic work, so Diderot and Rousseau and others began to co-edit: an encyclopedia, in which Rousseau was in charge of the music part, was interrupted by Diderot's arrest. Rousseau turned to his friends for help everywhere, hoping to get Diderot out, but with little success.
Rousseau often visited Diderot's prison. 1749 in summer, the weather is very hot. It's a long way from Paris to prison. Rousseau went for a walk to see Diderot, and often took a book with him. When he was tired, he could read. One day, he brought a magazine "French Courier" and suddenly saw a paper by the Dijon Academy of Sciences: "Is the progress of science and art conducive to improving fashion?" When Rousseau saw this topic, he seemed to be shot by all kinds of light, and many energetic thoughts emerged unconsciously from his heart. He suddenly felt suffocated, as if he had seen another universe, and he became another person. In his mind, not only ideas related to the papers of Dijon Academy of Sciences emerged, but also a series of ideas came one after another, impacting him like a big wave. This spiritual shock shows the potential of his insightful thoughts.
Rousseau told it to Diderot. Diderot encouraged Rousseau to continue to develop his ideas and write articles to apply them. Rousseau actively wrote this paper and sent it to Diderot for review. He revised it many times and issued it with the title "On Art and Science". In 1750, he won the first prize of this paper. In this article, he denied the value of art and science, demonstrated it from the opposite side, revealed his distrust and hatred of Paris society, and opposed the fraud hidden in this society. He condemned that science, literature and art were dominated by power.
Hermit works
From 65438 to 0756, 44-year-old Rousseau accepted a gift from a friend-a small country house with beautiful environment, and began his seclusion.
Rousseau's personality is suitable for living in the country. He has lived in Paris for 15 years and is tired of city life. After living in seclusion, he decided not to return to Paris. By this time, Rousseau has become a little famous, so don't worry about the living expenses. He continued to copy music. Although he can't make much money, he is reliable and self-sufficient. His opera "The Country Prophet" and other works still have two francs left, and other works are being sorted out, so that life will not be poor. His writing style and talent made him a famous scholar. As long as he is willing to combine the writer's skills with his efforts to write good books, his works will enable him to live a very rich life. However, Rousseau felt that writing for bread would soon suffocate and destroy his talent. His talent is not in the pen, but in his heart, which is completely produced by a transcendental and heroic way of thinking. He has always believed that the status of a writer can only be maintained when it is not an industry; When a person only wants to make a living, his thoughts are hard to be noble; In order to be able and dare to speak great truth, we must never give in to the pursuit of success.
During his six years in seclusion, Rousseau wrote many famous works, including the famous political work On Civil Contract, which is one of the famous classic works in the history of world politics. His political views had a great influence on the French Revolution. Emile is a monograph on education, which briefly introduces his unique and free educational thoughts and is a classic work on children's education. Although Rousseau was criticized for this book when he was alive, his unique educational thought not only had a far-reaching impact on the later educational theory, but also became the driving force of the French Revolution. The publication of the autobiographical novel "New Arrow Si Qi" has become a well-known best seller, translated into many languages and swept all over Europe.
Be persecuted
According to the custom of France at that time, a book was circulated by some celebrities before it was published. After being circulated by the outside world, Amir immediately became the center of the debate. Strangely, Rousseau's naive, inspirational and original pedagogy book was regarded as heresy by the outside world and banned by the French court.
At first, Rousseau didn't care about the outside gossip. He believes that this pedagogy book is written for the happiness of mankind. How can it be opposed by intellectuals, churches and countries? How can you regard him as an evil man? Under the pressure of the outside world, the publishing house also advised Rousseau not to publish books under his real name, but Rousseau insisted on facing those unnecessary attacks. He thinks that he always abides by the legal system of the country, strives to be a loyal and obedient citizen, and abides by the laws of the country like other French people, so that he will not be persecuted for loving mankind and pursuing human happiness. But bad luck befell him, and the media regarded Rousseau as a criminal.
One night, Rousseau was reading the Bible in bed. Someone wrote that the court would send someone to arrest him tomorrow. The Supreme Court decided to burn Emile and immediately issued an arrest warrant to put Rousseau in prison. Rousseau had to bid farewell to his friends and leave France for Switzerland. Soon the state also ordered him to leave Swiss territory within one day, and then Rousseau moved to the area under the jurisdiction of Prudhu. At the same time, European readers kept writing letters, and women, young people and young philosophers wrote to Rousseau for guidance, which greatly inspired him spiritually. Later, Rousseau went to England at the invitation of the British philosopher Hume, and finally left England because of the growing differences with Hume. He had to change his name and surname and return to France to live in seclusion again. The years of exile and uneasiness did not affect Rousseau's writing. He is the author of Confessions, A Lonely Traveler's reverie, Letters in the Mountains, Citizens' Feelings and other works.
return to nature
Why is Rousseau's Emile so hated by the French reactionary authorities? The reason is that Rousseau initiated a Copernican revolution in education with his Emile. Education has always been based on the abilities and needs of adults, but Rousseau clamored to break this tradition. "Everything that comes from the creator's hand is good, but when it comes to people's hands, it all goes bad ... He doesn't want things to be natural, even for people. People must be trained like horses in a racecourse; People must be as crooked as trees in the garden. " (Emile, Volume I, Page 5) This is a prologue in Emile, which expresses the basic viewpoint of Rousseau's naturalistic education theory. That is, human nature is good, and education should "return to nature".
Rousseau's "theory of good nature" is not scientific, but it has positive and progressive significance in history. Because if people are regarded as congenital criminals like Christianity, they will be severely punished, forcing people to obey blindly, thus undermining human rights; It is better to emphasize the possibility of people developing towards goodness, which is more conducive to improving people's political status and safeguarding people's social rights. It is a great change in education to turn the education that inhibits nature into the education that respects nature. Rousseau is a key figure in this historical turning point.
Based on the theory of "returning to nature", Rousseau advocated that education should be implemented according to the age characteristics of the educated. He said: "The treatment of children should be different according to their age." He also said: "in all things, people have their place, and in life, childhood has its place;" So we must treat people as people and treat children as children. " He criticized feudal education for neglecting children's natural development and obliterating the difference between children and adults, so that it failed to teach according to children's characteristics and imposed education suitable for adults on children. This kind of education, in his view, is tantamount to making children victims of education. Therefore, he strongly advocated that the educational tasks should be stipulated according to the physical and mental characteristics of the educated at different stages.
Rousseau's theory of "returning to nature" is embodied in the educational goal, which requires the cultivation of natural persons; A natural person with harmonious body and mind is different from a noble gentleman and a prince's grandson, and also from an empty and useless scholar. This is a big step forward from the previous and then educational ideals. Emile created by Rousseau has the mind of a philosopher, the skills of a laborer and the character of a reformer. There is no doubt that Rousseau's natural person is the image of the new bourgeoisie. This is where his thought is more advanced than feudal education, and it is also the main reason for his persecution.
Knowledge education
In terms of knowledge education, Rousseau advocates applying what he has learned and being thirsty for knowledge.
In terms of teaching content, Rousseau resolutely opposes book recitation and empty text preaching, and demands the pursuit of truly useful knowledge. He said: indulging in book education is devastating to the soul. What children need is a real understanding of things, and books "only teach us to talk about things we don't know." However, Rousseau envisioned a variety of disciplines for young people who began to develop rationality after 12 years old, and asked them to study and roughly divide them. Young people who focus on knowledge education should learn natural science knowledge, and adolescence who focus on moral education should learn social science knowledge. It was unnecessary to learn fables, history and classical Chinese before, but now I have to learn them. Because learning fables can make people learn from them; Learning history can be used as a warning, and learning classical languages can help us understand the laws of language art, which shows that Rousseau opposed the decadent classical teaching content, but he did not oppose the study of classical knowledge. The two are not the same. The former leads young people to the pile of old paper, making them cling to the past and ignore the present, eating the past without changing it; The latter requires understanding ancient culture, absorbing its essence, learning its gains and losses, and making the past serve the present.
In teaching methods, Rousseau opposed dogmatism and paid attention to knowledge. He persuaded the teachers to give up the lengthy narration and let more teaching penetrate into the common activities of teachers and students. He thinks that the most important thing in teaching is to inspire the consciousness of children and teenagers, so he pays special attention to the role of motivation, interest and need in learning. Rousseau attached great importance to the intuitive teaching method. He believes that only by directly contacting and observing things can we truly understand the theories and concepts of things. He even thinks that instruments, models and other equipment that interfere with children's learning should be abandoned, and direct observation of actual things is the most effective method. Rousseau also attaches great importance to students' independent thinking and judgment, but hates cramming and imperative teaching methods. In addition, Rousseau also warned teachers to choose learning content according to children's understanding level. "Never tell children what they don't understand." In order to maintain the correctness and solidity of knowledge, he advocates that children's learning speed should be arranged reasonably, and they should not be eager for success, be greedy for quick success and be ambitious. His new ideas on reforming the contents and methods of knowledge teaching also inspire our teaching reform today.
sex education
Because sexual arousal is the characteristic of adolescence, Rousseau pays more attention to sex education for teenagers than any educator in the history of education. He advocates proper education on sexual morality and knowledge during the sexual maturity of teenagers, so that teenagers can have a correct understanding of the natural development of "sex" and thus be able to "behave correctly".
Rousseau opposed both asceticism and sensualism, and advocated conforming to the natural development, neither blindly restraining nor being overly excited. In order to prevent precocious puberty, Rousseau believes that teenagers should be kept away from improper temptations. Teachers should use appropriate work and activities to attract teenagers' attention and relax their energy. When talking about children's curiosity about sex, Rousseau stressed that they should not be given the opportunity to arouse, let alone stimulate his curiosity, and should try their best to avoid problems involving sexual life. But if such a question is raised, the teacher "would rather keep silent to the child than accuse him of lying." This will not surprise children, because the teacher never answers questions that he thinks are not suitable for children to understand. If you think it is necessary to answer, then "your answer must always be solemn, simple and clear;" Don't show hesitation. The content of the answer should be true, don't say it. " (Emile, page 177) Rousseau criticized the past education for deceiving children on sexual issues, thinking that it would encourage children to learn improper sexual knowledge.
For the love between men and women, Rousseau believes that it should not be an obstacle to rational education, but a means of rational education. He believes that human beings should always look for suitable tools to control nature from nature itself, and can only use the power of desire to resist the tyranny of desire. He said, "I'm not afraid to let Emil have the love he craves. I want to describe love as the greatest happiness in life and make him feel contemptible for his lewd behavior. I want him to be a lover and a good man at the same time. " These views have had a far-reaching impact on the later implementation of correct sex education in various countries.