He argued, somewhat radically, that the purest people were found in primitive societies rather than civilized ones. The farther removed humans were from what he called the original “state of nature,” the more morally corrupted and decadent they would inevitably become. Children were viewed as close to nature because they hadn’t yet become broken down and destroyed by civilization, and according to Rousseau’s logic it was desirable that they stay in that natural state as long as possible.
