Rousseau on Education, Freedom, and Judgment

In Rousseau on Education, Freedom, and Judgment, Denise Schaeffer challenges the common view of Rousseau as primarily concerned with conditioning citizens passions in order to promote republican virtue and unreflective patriotism. Schaeffer argues that, to the contrary, Rousseaus central concern is the problem of judgment and how to foster it on both the individual and political level in order to create the conditions for genuine self-rule. Offering a detailed commentary on Rousseaus major work on education, Emile, and a wide-ranging analysis of the relationship between Emile and several of Rousseaus other works, Schaeffer explores Rousseaus understanding of what good judgment is, how it is learned, and why it is central to the achievement and preservation of human freedom. The model of Rousseauian citizenship that emerges from Schaeffers analysis is more dynamic and self-critical than is often recognized. This book demonstrates the importance of Rousseaus contribution to our understanding of the faculty of judgment, and, more broadly, invites a critical reevaluation of Rousseaus understanding of education, citizenship, and both individual and collective freedom.