# The “Individualistic” Ideal of the Eighteenth Century explained — Democracy and Education

> Chapter companion for Democracy and Education by John Dewey.

## What happens

This chapter contrasts eighteenth-century philosophy with earlier views, emphasizing 'nature' as a force for individual diversity and free development. It argues that the seemingly antisocial individualism of the era was actually a mask for a progressive, cosmopolitan ideal aimed at liberating human capacities from corrupt social institutions. Education in accord with nature was seen as the first step toward a harmonious, humanity-wide society, supported by advances in natural science and sensationalistic theories of knowledge.

## Themes in this chapter

### Democracy and Education

The chapter discusses the ideal of a society as wide as humanity, where education liberates individuals to become agents of progressive social change.

### Education as Life and Growth

Education in accord with nature is presented as a means to free individual capacities and promote growth, contrasting with artificial social constraints.

### Critique of Traditional Curriculum

The chapter criticizes existing social institutions and their educational limitations, advocating for a natural education free from corrupting external restrictions.

## Character check-ins

### Plato

Plato exercised a great influence upon Rousseau, linking the eighteenth-century ideal of nature to earlier philosophical traditions.

### Rousseau

Rousseau is a key figure in the eighteenth-century movement, influenced by Plato and advocating for education in accord with nature to free individual talents.

### Newton

The Newtonian solar system is cited as a model of natural law and harmony, inspiring the belief that natural law could similarly order human relations.

## Key lines

> The doctrine of extreme individualism was but the counterpart, the obverse, of ideals of the indefinite perfectibility of man and of a social organization having a scope as wide as humanity.

Extreme individualism was actually the flip side of a belief in humanity's unlimited potential and a society that encompasses all people.

_This highlights the paradox that individualism served a cosmopolitan, progressive social ideal._

> To give 'nature' full swing was to replace an artificial, corrupt, and inequitable social order by a new and better kingdom of humanity.

Allowing nature to operate freely would replace a corrupt and unequal society with a more just and humane one.

_Nature is portrayed as a liberating force against oppressive social structures._

> The first step in freeing men from external chains was to emancipate them from the internal chains of false beliefs and ideals.

Liberating people from outward oppression begins with freeing their minds from incorrect ideas and values.

_Education is seen as crucial for internal emancipation, which precedes social change._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/democracy_and_education_se/chapters/iv-the-individualistic-ideal-of-the-eighteenth-century
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/democracy_and_education_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/democracy_and_education_se/chapters