Limitation of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Educational Philosophy

There were some weaknesses and shortcomings in Rousseau’s naturalist philosophy and educational outlook as well. Rousseau saw the arrival of science and arts as a hindrance to the natural development of the human mind. Rousseau’s philosophy also opposes social life. It is impossible to human life. Man is a social animal who can develop himself fully only by living in society.

Therefore, following are some of the limitations in Rousseau’s philosophy:

Limitation of Rousseau’s Educational Philosophy

1. No Place for Science

Natural world is not enough for education. For the all-round development of the child, knowledge related to the technical and scientific development happening around him is also necessary, which is absent in the naturalist philosophy of Rousseau.

2. No Place for Books

Rousseau’s educational philosophy considers the use of books futile and calls for a complete boycott of it. Rousseau views the idea of learning from books negatively. Books are a repository of knowledge which has the potential to introduce knowledge to individuals in different forms.

3. Flawed Discipline Method

Rousseau highly values absolute freedom under his naturalistic philosophy. In opposition to this, other philosophers believe that by giving complete freedom to the child, he can harm himself by going on wrong path. It is necessary that the child develops sense of responsibilities towards his environment and can be linked to the values of social life. Complete freedom in the social world is neither possible nor can be.

4. No Role of Teacher

The teacher plays the main and important role in the life of the student. But in Rousseau’s philosophy, the role of the teacher is only that of the stage setter, where the child is in the role of the hero and who is doing all the work according to himself. The position of the teacher is minimal and his specific role has not been accepted.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *