Jean Piaget has fascinated me since I first heard about him in my developmental psychology class. Piaget's tireless journey to understand how knowledge develops is fascinating. In the interest of a better understanding of Piaget's theories as well as the processes behind these theories, we must first examine Piaget's theory of genetic epistemology. Piaget's theory of genetic epistemology, as well as the critique of his theory, will be the focus of this article. Jean was born in Switzerland on August 9, 1896 (Smith, 1997). Jean started volunteering at the Neuchâtel Natural History Museum at the age of 10. While volunteering at the museum, the director took Jean on as an assistant and apprentice, "compensating Jean for his work by giving him rare specimens of molluscs for his personal collection." » (Plucker, 2003). Jean demonstrated his brilliant mind at the age of 11, when he wrote a short article about the albino sparrow (Smith, 1997). In fact, as indicated in the brief biography of Jean Piaget posted on the Jean Piaget Society, "this short article is considered the beginning of a brilliant scientific career consisting of more than sixty books and several hundred articles" ( Smith, 1997). During his adolescence, Piaget's interest in molluscs had "developed to the point that he became a noted malacologist by the time he completed his studies" (Plucker, 2003). In fact, “Piaget’s doctoral thesis, written at the age of 21, was on the classification of molluscs” (Plucker, 2003). After completing his doctorate, “Piaget showed promise studying psychoanalysis, but chose to work in standardizing reasoning tests on children” (Plucker, 2003). During his work, Piaget noticed that ch...... middle of paper ......e was extremely intelligent, and I admire the dedication to his research. Works Cited Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Interactive psychology. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved April 28, 2011 from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cogsys/piaget.htmlMcLeod, SA (2007). Simply psychology. Retrieved April 29, 2011 from http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.ukPlucker, JA (ed.). (2003). Human intelligence: historical influences, current controversies, educational resources. Accessed April 30, 2011 from http://www.indiana.edu/~intellSmith, L. (1997) Jean Piaget Society: Society for the Study of Knowledge and Development. Retrieved April 30, 2011 from http://piaget.org/aboutPiaget.html Thio, Alex. (2009). Sociology: a brief introduction. Seventh ed. Allyn and Baycon.