루소의 교육과 아동의 행복

Happy Children in Rousseau's Education

This research aims at examination on Rousseau's blueprint for juvenile education, which is described in the second chapter of his best and most important book, Emile, and approaches the question to ask if his theory of education is worth practicing for children's welfare. Fundamentally, the purpose of this study lies in revealing that his faith in negative principle of education is logically related to juvenile's happiness. Rousseau's emphasis on the proposition that we should waste time forge nuine juvenile education suggests the direction of education for happy children and the importance of slow education theory in our society, where speediness is priority over anything else and we need to realize that happiness and welfare of children consists of waiting and slowing education philosophy. Most of all, it seems to Rousseau that the pathway to happiness of children lies here and now, not far away from the present. The ideal of juvenile education begins with self-loving and self-cherishing and it is achieved through setting children free from the conventional restraints and accepting children's natural rights. Rousseau reminds contemporary people that children can develop by plays and physical activities and can acquire proper balance themselves between desire and ability. Surely there is some criticism on Rousseau's education theory. Considering the phases of the times, however, it is clear that Rousseau is expressing concretely an innovative education project for juvenile's happy education.