R218TH

Emile, or On Education, is a book on the nature of education and the nature of man. It touches fundamental political and philosophical questions about the relationship between the individual and society how, in particular, he or she might have any hope of retaining what Rousseau saw as innate human goodness while remaining part of a corrupting collectivity. It is observed by some as the first philosophy of education in the Western culture to have a serious claim to completeness. No sooner was it published than the section of the book titled, “Profession of Faith of the Savoyard Vicar” caused it to be banned in Paris and Geneva and burned. It became a European bestseller. During the French Revolution, Emile served as the inspiration for what became a new national system of education.

__ Emile, or On Education __. ILT Web. 19 Apr. 2009 .