Biography

Child prodigy

Jean Piaget was born in Neuchatel, Switzerland, August 9, 1896, the first of three children of Arthur Piaget and Rebecca Jackson. The Piaget family lived in a quiet French-speaking region near Lake Neuchatel, in the cradle of the Swiss Alps in an area of Switzerland noted for its vineyards and watch making.

Jean was a child prodigy. His father, a professor of medieval literature at Neuchatel University, nurtured his son's innovative and inquisitive mind and encouraged young Jean in the systematic pursuit of answers to his many queries about the natural world.

Jean's mother was a strict Calvinist, adhering to a system of biblical interpretation focused on the supreme sovereignty of God and the fallen nature of humans. She was politically active and concerned with the social causes of the day. By...