Rousseau's Thoughts On Children's Aesthetic Education And Its Contemporary Values

Jean Jacques Rousseau was an outstanding thinker, philosopher and educator in the French Enlightenment Movement in the 18th century. Although the concept of "aesthetic education" was not proposed by Rousseau, his education thoughts oriented at developing natural persons of harmonious development between rationality and sensibility were abundant with rich aesthetic education. As he found the value of children, his thought of aesthetic education was mainly targeted at children. Nowadays, as ecological crises and spiritual crises are more severe than ever before, Rousseau's thought of children's aesthetic education could better highlight its educational and ecological values, thus having a far-reaching significance for current children's aesthetic education in China.The thesis consists of 5 parts.The first part sorted out the social background, academic background and personal background of the formation of Rousseau's thought of aesthetic education. The emergence of Rousseau's thought of aesthetic education was closely linked with the economic situation and educational situation in the society before the French Revolution. With the rise of the bourgeois revolution, French thinkers proposed the idea of establishing a new world. The emphasis on "rationality" and discovery of "humanity" in the Enlightenment Movement inspired Rousseau greatly. Moreover, Rousseau's childhood and youth were also closely associated with the formation of his thought of children's aesthetic education.The second part analyzed the philosophical foundation and religious foundation for Rousseau's thought of children's aesthetic education. In his philosophical system, natural philosophy and goodness philosophy were the basic principles. It was under the guidance of these philosophical thoughts that Rousseau proposed the thought of aesthetic education targeted at cultivating "natural persons".The third part discussed the connotation and goal of Rousseau's thought of children's aesthetic education and the principles and methods for its implementation. "Nature" was the core concept of Rousseau's thought of children's aesthetic education. Therefore, Rousseau's children education was centered around the cultivation of "natural persons".The fourth part marshaled the far-reaching influence of Rousseau's thoughts of children's aesthetic education on modern children's education, modern thoughts of aesthetic education and China. Rousseau's thoughts of children's aesthetic education respected children's good nature, conformed to children's interior nature, valued their exterior nature and shaped perfect perceptual and rational characters, which all had a profound influence on the education for future generations.Based on the current status of children's aesthetic education, the fifth part introduced the contemporary values and significance of Rousseau's thought of children's aesthetic education. Children's return to nature was not only to grow up in true nature and return to their natural instincts, but also to return to the original goal of children's aesthetic education, i.e., maintaining and shaping perfect rational and perceptual characters.