From the State of Nature to Civil Society
Rousseau sees education as the primary driver for the transition of children from the atomic individual (which is present only in the state of nature) into that of a citizen of the civil society, a move defined by the shift from the amour de soi (individual will) to amour-propre (general will).
Society as a force for the corruption of men
Rousseau sees nature as "good" and society as responsible for the corruption of individuals. He reasons that fear of death is not present in the state of nature and that various groups impose it in civil society, such as priests, philosophers, and doctors.
"A child does not know vice and doesn't know error. It is introduced to the child by society."
Education is subtractive
Due to the corruptive nature of society, Rousseau sees the purpose of education as a subtractive endeavor. Overall, the goal of education is to remove the corruption imposed by civil society.
"The task of education is to help your brain operate sufficiently to tell what is an error and to figure out when you are making an error."
Necessity and strengths over duty and obeying in education
For Rousseau, a teacher should not take a top-down approach to educating children, thus avoiding persuasion through obligation, obedience, or responsibility. He sees necessity as the main driver in education, together with an emphasis on the distinctive strengths of the child.
Amour-propre; focusing on the needs of others
Amour-propre refers to the idea that we are not merely concerned with our interests but also with the needs and wants of other people. One example that illustrates this concept is the defeat of Pedaretus, who loses the election for the 300 representatives of Sparta. His reaction to the failure is accompanied by a delight that there are other 300 people worthier than him representing the interests of Sparta.
On the stages of love
For Rousseau, love develops in three distinct stages. It starts with being in love without having a specific person in mind. It then transitions into the next stage by using differences between two people to bring them together with the hopes of complementing each other. Finally, it ends with the idea of eros, where the "erotic act is slowly consumed."
Fundamental ideas when educating a child
For Rousseau, a few key ideas should act as the foundational philosophy of any person trying to educate a child.