The Importance of Education According to Locke’s Theory

Locke has a more modern theory of education which is more rational to comprehend and one where a child can be happy in this society through virtue. According to Locke, a parent is the first educator a child should have and should be able to find the best tutor who has enough knowledge to teach him everything he needs to know in order to adjust and function in this society. Even though there are many vices in this world, this is why teaching him about virtues will help a child with reason, self-restraint, and how to be content in the society we live in.

In contrast to Rousseau, regarding the education he instills in Emile, Rousseau’s method of education is decreasing obstacles of civilization bringing him to nature as possible. He states that either you raise and create a man of nature or a citizen. One cannot be both. (Rousseau 39). Although he has valid thoughts for instance, he wants Emile to be happy and living is the job he wants to teach, he trains him in a certain way as creating a miniature adult. While making him a “man” first before anything. Also, at the early age in life of Emile, Rousseau education was cruel to my perspective. I quite don’t understand how in this society one can educate a child with Rousseau’s method of education. He isolates Emile from the world. He has no friends. He starts socializing until he becomes an adult. I see this hard to understand, how one can isolate a child and let make him socialize at a later age? When a child has been homeschooled all his life, it is hard to socialize, to make new friends and adapt to society. It also seems that he is describing an imaginary education that it is unusual to understand. I find his way to educating cruel to Emile. Practically all the book was a set up in Emile’s life. Emile throughout the book had no choice but to learn what Rousseau was teaching him and throughout the book one could wonder that not all children are the same. Emile seems like that that perfect child who never strikes back or has an opinion or disagreement on his way of education.

Locke, even with his advice on the education of children, he knows that not all children are the same, “There are a thousand of things that may need consideration, especially if one should take in the various tempers, different inclinations, and particular defaults that are to be found in children and prescribe proper remedies” (Locke 161). Individuality has a role on education, unlike Rousseau. A parent can guide their children as much as they can and can show them the right path to life, but each individual is different, different minds, different souls, and Locke mentions this in his book and Rousseau doesn’t. This is one reason it is quite confusing to understand the education Rousseau is instilling Emile. Children have different temperaments, attitudes and everyone is different. Yet Emile, Emile seems like a child who never becomes angry or have a disagreement with a parent. Emile never became angry at Rousseau and never recommended his own points of view. It’s like raising a perfect kid and perfect kids do not exist. As much as a parent wishes to raise a perfect child and mold them to their ways, it’s highly impossible to do so, because as they grow older, they start gathering their own perspectives of life and start making their own decisions. 

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