We're not denying that Jean-Jacques Rousseau is one smart guy. After all, the dude is known for his out-of-this-world work on political philosophy, confessional writing, and music, just to name a few of his hobby-horses. But Rousseau's unconventional education seems to be exactly why he can dabble in so many subjects and excel in each of them.
A big part of R's education has to do with his inability to stay put. Remember, this is the guy who started out as an engraver's apprentice and just couldn't settle down with a nice career. Instead, Rousseau goes gallivanting about the countryside, meeting interesting people and trying to write operas in one week. The more experiences Rousseau has, the more he educates himself on worldly matters. That, Shmoopers, is smart indeed.
Questions About Education
- When does Rousseau first become interested in books?
- Out of all the educated people Rousseau meets, whom does he respect the most?
- How does Rousseau distinguish between what he can teach himself and what he needs to seek out teachers to learn?
- Rousseau doesn't dedicate much time in The Confessions to describing his formal education. Why might that be?
Chew on This
Rousseau frequently returns to lessons learned in his childhood in order to be a smarty-pants adult.
Rousseau tries to reflect on each conversation he has with strangers in order to educate himself more.