The precept of nature in Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s point-of-view is the ability of humans to visualize and make sense of the things around us. In accordance to this maxim, his treatise entitled Emile: or a Treatise on Education makes an outline of how an individual, starting from birth, incorporates different sensations about a variety of things. Furthermore, Rousseau commentates that, “We are born sensitive and from our birth onwards we are affected in various ways by our environment. As soon as we become conscious of our sensations we tend to seek or shun the things that cause them…” (Rousseau 2). Rousseau continues with this train-of-thought by stating that children should learn by things of nature; that they should figure things out on their own and adults should, “watch his [or her] actions without speaking, consider what he [or she] is doing and how he [or she] sets about it” (Rousseau 14).

Rousseau’s concept of learning through sensations and ideas has similarities to Rene Descartes’ book of the world. In particular, both philosophers believe that seeing and experiencing things have more value that just merely believing what is either said or stated in text. For Descartes, he believes that, “…I could not do better than continue in that in which I was engaged, viz., in devoting my whole life to the culture of my reason, and in making the greatest progress I was able in the knowledge of truth, on the principles of the method which I had prescribed to myself” (Descartes 8). As such, touring the world by himself and making a final conclusion of such experiences gives him a sense of fulfillment of his accomplishments. For Rousseau, experience in regards to children should be concentrated on their ability to perceive and make sound judgments on their own rather than having to forcibly accept something when it is of no use to them, or if it is too difficult to comprehend.