Freedom and Authority in Alexander S. Neill's and Jean Jacques Rousseau's Philosophy of Education

Freedom, perhaps second only to language, is considered a defining quality of human beings. Before children can be free and autonomous adults, however, they have to be educated, which often means invoking authority to limit their freedom to prevent harmful actions and to guide them toward pursuits that educators deem beneficial. Two of the authors who questioned the use of di rect, adult authority in the interaction with children are J. J. Rousseau (1712-1778) and A. S. Neill (1883-1973). The a ...