The core of Rousseau's educational thought is the theory of natural education. The purpose of nature education is to cultivate "natural persons" whose natural nature is fully developed. This idea emphasizes that education must conform to the natural course of children's natural development, that is, follow the characteristics of children's physical and mental development, while respecting children's personality characteristics.

Rousseau believes that human nature is kind and pure, and people are born to love freedom and have self-love and compassion. All mistakes and sins are the result of bad social environment.

The first sentence at the beginning of "Emile" is: "Everything that comes from the creator's hand is good, but when it comes to people's hands, it goes bad. Prejudice, authority, needs, precedents and all the social systems that press on us will kill his nature without adding anything. His nature will be like a sapling that grows on the road by accident. It will be bumped and twisted by pedestrians and will soon be killed. "