9c. Desarollo Natural

El aprendaje natural es correcta por los seres humanos tambien.

JACOBO ROUSSEAU. EL HOMBRE DE ESTE SIGLO

We have mentioned that Rosseau's point of view was well expressed by the following phrase:

"Todo sale perfecto de las manos del creador de la naturaleza; en las manos del hombre todo degenera".

We also showed that the natural and correct form of educacion, for Rousseau, had three forms:

1. Respuestas natural de la sistema de todos sus atributos y faculdades rectas que tienen la potencial de desarrollar un base de referencia por comportamiento natural.

2. Las experiencias educacional del hombre in his interface with living forms.

3. Las enseñanzas que obtenemos de nuestras particulares experiencias con objetos, y de las impresiones de las cosas que nos rodean.

¿Que explicacion presentada Rousseau?

“Somos seres sensibles; las cosas que nos rodean nos producen impresiones. Cuando llegamos a ser conscientes tendemos a conservar o evitar los objetos que las promueven, primero por el placer o desagrado que los acompañan, y después en razón del juicio que de la idea de felicidad, ofrecida por la razón, formamos en base a tales sensaciones…Estas disposiciones de simpatía o antipatía crecen y se fortalecen a medida que aumenta nuestra sensibilidad y nuestra inteligencia; pero tenidas a raya por nuestros hábitos, las alteran más o menos nuestras opiniones.

Antes de que se alteren, constituyen lo que yo llamo en nosotros naturaleza".

Un bien cuididano productiva y obediente al estado o de un hombre que es capaz de desarrollar y permite la crecamiento de su propio naturaleza.

Claramente el problem hoy es de elige entre la educacion de un hombre, un creatura que es un esclavo de la sociedad,

Actually, the beauty of Rousseau's Utopia is not that it presents a final state of Utopia, but ut presents the means to acquire that Utopia withou preconcieved ideas except of human liberty without the constrictions or designs which are academic, moral, political or social.

The means of transition is to move from any given situation of civilization which is corrupt to a natural stateby means of changes in the way education is dealt with. The key is to generate and evolve the natural tendencies not to do what is unfortunately done today, which is to work agaist the natural tendencies to produce a robot like human who becomes a perfect pawn in a society with false compasion and benevolence.

In Rousseau's sistem there are no ultimate goals. Education does not look for the seeds of bankers, scientiists, doctors, lawers, gardeners, farmers and the like. There is no structure in which the true nature must be moulded. The mind is the servent of the true nature not the puppet master whose cords are manipulated by a consumer society.

What needs to be taught is how to live, not how to die rich or famous.

It is this false idea hich has been taught for over ten thousand years. The true path of education, Thorreau's quant meandering stream must not consist of political or academic reason. reason. True natural eductiondoes not consist of social precepts, laws and discipline. Nor is it to be chained by ritual and superticion.

The only tecnique that a master should teach is how to open the door for the true nature which is dormant inside to emerge.

RELIGION

Rousseau is clear that that it is simply public opinion (clearly not natural) that imposes its will upon the social system and builds its norms by foolish common consent. We are in agreement that things have not changed today.

In questions of religion these opiniones are tyranical.

Perfect masters fight against that dominion and tyrany and never consent to the authoritive approach in education. The idea must by now evident. In “education”, paradoxically do not educate, do not teach. The task of a master is to set the conditions and scenario so that the student can use his own natural unimpeded reason.

The student must ask , "Existo y tengo sentidos por los cuales soy conmovido”.

We can see then that a student, well exposed to his own nature, would not be easily captured by the external illusions of Samsara. Both desire and clinging are then difficult, because the internal psychological proceses would then work by “function” not “form”.

A person is then free of external pressure and finds himself "animado por una sustancia inmaterial" interno, that is his own true nature, his pure mind."

His acts are not attributable to providence, consequently, it will be seen that "El mal moral, sin duda, es obra nuestra”.

But that God does not rule externally. He has according to Rousseau generated man with his particular natural role and the rules for the attainment of correctness in that role are within him, written indellably in his pure mind by nature.

If he follows his natural conscience, not the induced or condicioned conscience of reason, he will never make mistakes in his judgement of himself and others.

In the teachings of religion (or the spiritual) it is always a mistake to introduce the ideas as a task. Nothing can be associated internlly if it becomes merely rote repeticion stored in memory. Spiritual ideas should only be taught that promote a natural human wisdom.

That is why we say repeatedly in Tierra Pura that there should be no pointless supertition, rites, ceremonies and dogma to cling to. Everything, as Rousseau declares, must be designed and funcion as a libertor of natural internal wisdom. The true religion then is the natural religion which developes from a natural system.

EL HOMBRE NATURAL Y EL ESTADO

We have no great interest here in expounding Rousseau’s final modelling of Emilio to the state in which he lived. It is sufuce to say that he is converted in spouse and then father and a member of the state.

For those interested, certainly his work, “The Social Contract”, might make worthwhile reading.

The abiding question is, however, how a person so liberated can live in a corrupt society? How? It is natural, of course, to live within injustice affirming his vocation as a just and natural person.

BOYS WILL BE BOYS

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails, thats what little boys are made of.

THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD NEWS

The phrase "boys will be boys " is a statement which means that it is the nature of a boy to be the way he is and he should therefore be forgiven his boyish faults.

This is the attitude of parents nd children in most families in which the standards for girls are much higher.

The good news is, of course that boys are then free form many of the behaviour restrictions of society as they are growing up. Their behaviour may be considered unruly and incorrect, but they are, after all boys, who are expected to be unruly and incorrect.

The bad news is that boys grow up as "men" with an exaggerated idea of own intelligence and a lack of responsibility for his actions. That attitude is not natural and weakens his character and stifles his better attributes. What is more it makes for a society that carries those same weaknesses.

The fault is clearly in education.

Rousseau presents an education that overcomes these debilities if they are present and prevents their arisal in a young child who has not yet recieved the first social "injuries" of a traditional education.

EMILIO

In his work "Emilio" his central character is to follow a sistem of education which maintains the compasion and benevolence of natural virtue which is always in harmony with an intelligent innocence in the midst of a society of cannibals.

THE FIRST STEP

This first step of Emilio follows the path of uninhibites developing nature.

Rousseau believed that children should be allowed to use all of their natural potential and augment those potencials which were weak.

The help given must be real, not frivolous and the one teaching must act sparingly allowing the child maximum liberty, permiting the child to move for himself without setting standards for him to follow or physically restricting his natural way.

THE SECOND STEP

When the child starts talking, is when the crying and weeping of frustration is reduced and it can now use words to express experiences and requirements.

Rousseau believed that it is here that the child experiences suffering, but any suffering comes from an incorrectly developed identity, which it may have picked up from the corrupted environment. Rousseau also believed that desire is part of the humas process, but that desire when it is natural is not the desire of identity. it is the desire to learn, to know and to experience.

The first task then in education, which is to develop a natural non-suffering human creature, is to eliminate any frustration and residual conditioning, because these conditioned wants appear to be insaciable.

Education therefore must teach that natural drives or natural needs, are normal, but that a correct balance must be understood and maintained between what is needed and what can be attained. In other words the needs must be allowed to develop consciously, but expectations not developed.

Any social "desires" that may have crept in must be reigned and recognition of what is natural and what is not natural taught well.

The true natural drives (desires) of a man would not generated if they were not required for his protection and natural growth. It is that which must be the criteria for correct education with respect to these drives. The natural must be developed the social filtered and rejected.

Without expectations there is no frustrtion and without a social identity certainly little suffering.

We must agree with Rousseau then when he declares:

"La sistema entonces en la educacion es libertad, antes de que las leyes y las opiniones mentales que modifiquen la inclinación natural."

DEPENDENCIA

Rousseau makes a clear distintion between a natural dependency upon personal internal and external factors and dependency upon other human creatures. The second he declares is the fountain of all human suffering.

We find ourselves once more in agreement with Rousseau.

We can say then that suffering is a consequence of a learned dependency. One might consider this psychologically to be a learned helplessness, with less extreme consequences than the normal paradym. If one can teach the child to maintain auto dependency then one has secured a return to the natural order of a progressive education.

The error is the form of reinforcement which depends upon an external agency from which are derived negative and positive experiences.

Until the child's natural reason evolves it is better that the child follows the natural development of the sistem and not the social norm imposed by society imposing social reasoning and reasons upon the child.

It is then imperative not to teach either the apparent virtue now prevelant in society nor the apparent truths of society but to preserve the natural experiences of the heart (the true unsoiled mind).

LA MORALIDAD

When the child is twelve, according to Rousseau, that is the time to introduce the abstract idea of a cognitive morality. The introduction must be local and relative only to the child's imediate needs. The child cannot at this age really understand the concept of obligation and duty. it is the child that muist learn and nurture these ideas with minimal prompting. Specifically it will learn naturally the utility of complying with its promises.

Rousseau believed that the child, since it has no complex vocabulary works with images and it is folly to begin to charge his memory and thinking with ideas that it is imposible for him to profoundly understand except by shallow intellect.

Rousseau sostiene: "En cualquier estudio que fuere, nada valen los signos representantes sin la idea de las cosas representadas".

But Rousseau was not only concerned with the childs mental development, for he considered that a healthy mind must be developed in a healthy body. Exercise and the correct development of his body is to be tended to with diligence. Naturally this means without external discipline as, given the correct rich environment, the child will achieve all natural objectives.

Now Rousseau makes another interesting point. When one begins actaully teaching the child which topics are correct, Science must be taught, but not History, which he declares is dull and uninteresting and simply provokes rote learning which has little utility. But the most interesting is his idea that spiritual concepts should not at this time be taught.

EL TERCERO ESCLABON

When the child is between twelve and thirteen years old he reaches a state in whuch he can accomplish more than the sistem demands without undue harm.

Curiosity is developed at this stage at a point where new ideas can be introduced. But one must beware of books. The child must be exposed to the phenomena of nature more broad than ihis immediate environment.

But Rousseau warns, "No sepa nada porque se lo hayáis dicho, sino porque lo haya comprendido".

He must then invent science for himself and learn by direct experience not by learning stock phrases. It is important to realize that "authority" is to be eliminated. This is a most important recommendation of Rousseau.

Another important factor now arises in the education of human comportament and morality. Traditional systems are not valid. There is, Rousseau argues, no better way to develop correct comportment and morality than to study the lives of noble human creatures. It is they who bcome then the models of correct living and livlihood..

THE ARTS

With respect to art and artesan work, students must, according to Rousseau, be allowed to visit workshops and studios and be encouraged to develop manual dexterity and eye hand co ordination in creative forms. In this way he can develop an appreciation for bothe the utility of what is made and the techniques used .

When reaching fifteen the student, no longer a mere child, reaches a new important stage in which he can use all that has been developed naturally.

He begins to develop mentally and phisically with adult characteristics. There is an arousal of natural "passions". This is a natural passion which has no relation to tha learned passions of society which could easily divert him from a natural path.

The resultof eductional errors at this moment can result in tragic mental and physical conflicts and tensions.

But the natural child evolving from his childhood cocoon will have developed kindness, because that is a natural human attribute. Now that kindness becomes a powerful affect.

Here, according to Rousseau, arises a traic error if the social norms, customs and likes and dislikes are imposed upon the young person. The alliances he might choose by his nature will invariable then be in conflict with what society may choose for him. Acceptable standards of beauty, qualities and attributes are notoriously bad guides to affect. ony what is natural will be beneficial. External standards are not beneficial.

¿Cómo entonces poner en orden las pasiones?

¿Cómo proporcionar arreglo si todo estimula la imaginación del joven?.

The first experience which the child encounters is friendship. It is not an intimate affect, and it certainly is not the amor romanticized in popular lore which is the root of much suffering.

"El primer "afecto" de que es capaz un joven criado con esmero no es el amor, es la amistad”. Su imaginación le mostrará que tiene semejantes; es decir, que forma parte de una especie.

It is this kindness and friendship, before that of the first seeds of sexuality, taht must be used to give him motivation to use his natural resources that are adequate to place in his nascent sensibility the roots of more complex sentiments

When do these arise? When he actually percieves the human weaknesses. Then he can see suffering in others and imagine the weight of that suffering. This is the base of what we can call mundane compasion.

It is a prime sentiment of human nature and is selsom developed in a socienty bound by a mental compasion and the ritual which it entails".

Then clearly to abtain this balance between knowing differences and avoiding dependency in oneself and others one must know; the nature of the human creature. One must know the nature of the true and natural mind.

How can he avoid being tainted. We have said before that Rousseau did not approve of history, but of knowing individual lives of great men. It is here that the young persons knowledge of the noble human creature can be shown. He must get to understand the noble men of other places and times. At this time he will be about eighteen.

Compared with his apparent innocence a young person of today would apear knowledgable and superior, but the young person educated through the development of his own nature is able to judge impartially most things and avoids the traps which modern youth fall into. He will feel compassion for the wealthy nad famous and those who enjoy the so called "pleasures"of life.

But he must be sure not, at this point, himself to fall into the error of smug superiority. He must realize that he is not immune to the same debiities as others. We may say that Mara is sitting there waiting for such an error.

"THANK HEAVEN FOR LITTLE GIRLS"

THEY GROW UP IN THE MOST DELIGHTFUL WAY

Maurice Chevaleur in his song declares, thank heaven for little girls, they grow up in the most delightful way."

But do they? According to Rousseau they do not.

LA MUJER

A man, according to Rousseau, was not born to live alone and so the “fair gender” enter the picture, and when he is about twenty the young man will be impulsed by nature to find a mate.

In his book “Emilia” encounters “Sofia”.

The question then which arises for Rousseau is, how does one educates a woman

He does declare that he is not in accord with the idea that women should be only educated for housework and kept in ignorance. That, Rousseau declares firmly, in not in accord with a woman’s nature. She must cultivate her body and mind and learn how to make judgements.

We are with him so far, but lest those in favor of woman’s liberation begin to stand and cheer let us declare that Rousseau saw the education of a woman as being always in relation to that of the male figure.

Originally her formation depends upon the requirements of the mother. When she is adult her agreeable life depends upon the council, service and care of her spouse. Around these are built her obligations.

Rousseau declares "el destino de la mujer es agradar y ser sojuzgada”. That according to rousseau is the law of nature and her education must be in conformity with that. Tal es la ley de la naturaleza, conforme a la cual debe ser educada.

These three following paragraphs from a university discussion of Rousseau's ideas explain perfectly her education and role in life.

“Si es la dependencia su condición natural se inclina por ello a la obediencia. Destinada a obedecer, ha de tener como primera cualidad la suavidad del ánimo. Pero en la desigualdad natural que padece frente al hombre, tiene de su lado la habilidad y el ingenio, esto es una especial astucia cuyo cultivo agrega una gran dicha al matrimonio.

Tratándose del cultivo del espíritu femenino, guardan lugar especial las artes, pues tienen por objeto el agrado. Con ellas se educa el gusto y con éste se van adquiriendo las nociones de la belleza. Y debido a que las mujeres hablan antes que los hombres y los superan en esta facultad, un arte hay en el que han de ocuparse primeramente: el arte de hablar.

En su primera edad, en la que no distinguen lo bueno de lo malo, deben atenerse a la regla de que al hablar es preciso evitar decir cosas que parezcan desagradables a los que escuchan, con la condición de que no mientan. Se comprende entonces que las charlas bien dirigidas pueden tener el sentido de primeras lecciones de moral.”

Rousseau states that It is clear that when there begins a liberation of the woman’s personal judgement it is time to change her educational programme. He holds The religious beliefs of a women normally depend upon her mother or husband, but it should depend upon personal resolution. But that resolution was then and is now, clearly in conflict with the normal woman’s conduct (and men's in a lesser degree) with public opinion.

She must then, Rousseau says, resist mere opinions, either external or internal, which only serve to form women who are indecent and decietful.p>

She must be taught how to reason. But in "Emilio" this reason is not the same reason which a man might use. It is according to Rousseau:

"La obediencia y fidelidad que debe a su marido, la ternura y solicitudes que debe a sus hijos".

¿How?

She must learn how to compare her internal spiritual vision with the external pressures to conform and see that the correct path is with the former.

He believed, as all did at that time, that because the study of truth of science, its principles and axioms are inappropriate for women; as they are encountered out of her reach and beyond her capacity, she must reflect upon her natural obligations (in relation to men).

Apart from this understanding of her internal spirit, her studies must be oriented towards understanding men and what is agreeable in life.

Clearly Rousseau’s view here is based on common practice of his times, but he does not show the same depth of understanding for women, or for that matter female children, as he does for males.

But can we be sure that he was altogether wrong?

The male reader must decide for himself. The female reader may ask her husband... or not.