First, Sartre's main philosophical thoughts
Existentialism was first put forward by the German philosopher Heidegger, and it is the main school of western philosophy. The main theme of existentialism is a person's fear and absurd feeling of existence, and people feel isolated because they are abandoned in a meaningless world. On this basis, Sartre put forward his existential philosophy. He believes that human nature is not predetermined like things, but needs to be realized by actions. In his view, the shaping of essence left a great choice space for human freedom. People's choice is free, and ultimately they will decide what kind of person they become. In other words, the ultimate essence of human beings is created by repeated choices made before. Of course, human freedom will be restricted by others. People fall into the "zone" because they rely too much on and pay attention to the judgment of others. But on the whole, people have absolute freedom. Even in a deep prison, people have the freedom to break free.
(A) existence precedes essence
This famous assertion is the starting point and destination of Sartre's philosophical thought. Sartre divided "existence" into "free existence" and "self existence". "Free existence" is just an objective reality outside consciousness, "self-existence" is a dynamic consciousness, and man is a kind of "self-existence". Consciousness and the objective world are unified, that is, consciousness is the reflection of the objective world, and the objective world is meaningful only if it is recognized by consciousness. On the basis of Nietzsche's view that God is dead, Sartre put forward that "if God does not exist, then at least one thing already exists, and this thing is man". Although people have no right to decide when and where they are born and thrown into this world, they have the right to decide what kind of person they will become.
Sartre injected this assertion into his novella Nausea. The hero Logan Ding lived in a small town in Bouvier six years ago. He often goes to the library to read books and to the workers' restaurant to kill time. He feels that his present life is meaningless. Suddenly one day, he felt sick in the park, which was a reflection of his own existence. This is because he accidentally met the outside world and had an emotional experience. Logan Ding is used to reading and writing papers, which is actually an escape from free existence. Once he meets the existence of freedom, he will feel that he is useless and there is no need to exist. However, Logan Ding did not despair. He chose to start over. "Maybe one day, when I think of this day, this dark moment, I will feel my heart beating faster, and I will say: From this moment on, everything will start again." Therefore, Sartre believes that people get sick because of escape and get rid of this world because of nausea, and pursue transcendence and freedom.
? (2) Free choice and responsibility
From the assertion that "existence precedes essence", it can be concluded that people have the right to act freely. We can choose who we are. As Sartre said, "It is a coward who turns himself into a coward, and a hero who turns himself into a hero. This possibility has always existed. It is that cowards can cheer up and stop being cowards, and heroes can stop being heroes. " Besides, being a hero or a coward is the result of your own choice, and you should be responsible for this result. Because although they have the right to choose freely, people are in an organized environment, and their choices will affect others. Therefore, a person's choice is not only for himself, but also for others. Moreover, each of us has a great responsibility and will feel pain because of it. Some people make no choice at all in order to alleviate the pain, so they will not take responsibility and suffer. In fact, in Sartre's view, this is just self-deception. Not choosing is also a choice, but also a responsibility. As for pain, "it is a real condition for action and cannot stop people from taking action." Sartre's play The Fly is loyal to his philosophical theory of "free choice and responsibility". Orestes was determined to avenge his father, even though he had to take responsibility, so he killed his mother and lover. But he will bear the consequences of his actions after all-transfer the flies sent by Jupiter, the king of God, to punish the city of Alges to himself. At the same time, he let the citizens of Argos no longer be besieged by flies. Sartre also explained that God does not dominate people's destiny. As Orestes said, "I have my freedom. Once you created me, I no longer belong to you. "
Besides, our freedom will be limited by some factors. Because as long as we live in objective reality, we will be limited by nature. In Sartre's view, "this situation is the basis of freedom being restricted, that is, the artificiality of freedom." On the other hand, although the situation restricts us, it can't decide whether we will do it or not. Difficulties and resistance are the restrictions on free action, but we also shape ourselves in the process of solving them.
(3) Others are hell.
First of all, Sartre proposed, "Existentialism is a kind of humanitarianism, treating people as people, not crops. Everyone represents a kind of' subjectivity' and is still in a world of' subjectivity'. " Therefore, self and others are self-existence, not objects, not pure objects. Man is an equal relationship between subjects. At the same time, people's freedom will affect the freedom of others, which will inevitably lead to conflicts and contradictions, resulting in tension between people.
Secondly, Sartre believes that "I" has a relationship with others through gazing. When "I" is watched by others, I am materialized. In the eyes of others, I became a comfortable existence. At this time, I feel flustered, because others' eyes are all around me. Sartre vividly conveyed the philosophical view of "others" through his drama "Confinement". Garson is a coward and deserter, estelle is a sex maniac and a criminal who drowned his baby, Innes is a homosexual and a psychopath who tries to dominate others. At this point, three people are dead people who have fallen into hell. Their nature will not change because of their actions. But Garson tried to prove to them that he was not a coward, and wanted to change the nature of his coward by changing other people's judgments. So he relied too much on other people's eyes, and was dominated and bullied by Ines, which made him fidget and feel alienated. As Garcon said, "When you talk about hell, you think of sulfur, stake, grill ... Ah, what a joke! Why use the grill? Everything else is hell. " The dead are gone and can't fight any more, but some living people rely too much on others' evaluation of themselves, are dominated by others, limit their freedom of action, and become "living dead" because of their death. So what people have to do is to face up to themselves and the relationship between others and themselves. No matter how hell imprisons itself, we will crush it and strive for freedom.
Second, the enlightenment of Sartre's philosophy to individual education
Drawing lessons from the essence of Sartre's philosophy in students' individual education can enhance the possibility of students' development, clarify students' sense of freedom and responsibility, correctly treat the relationship with others and its evaluation, and further clarify the development and reform direction of China's education.
? (1) Enhance the possibility of development and set lofty goals.
First, "environmental determinism" and "genetic determinism" unilaterally emphasize the decisive role of environment or heredity in human development, while denying students' subjective initiative as individuals. As we all know, it is the individual's subjective initiative that gives students room for their own development. Sartre pointed out that "the first principle of existentialism is subjectivity" and advocated taking one's destiny into one's own hands. Therefore, what kind of person a student will eventually grow up is not determined by birth and environment, nor can a teacher predict only by the performance of the students at this stage. Just as a poor student will become an excellent student by his own efforts, an excellent student will become a poor student because he gives up on himself. Therefore, how a student grows and develops is in his own hands. But the terrible thing is that teachers often impose unchangeable qualities on students. In the embryonic stage of students' self-awareness, they completely deny their future and their plans for life. Therefore, a teacher should always encourage students to study hard, so that students can realize that their efforts will be rewarded, and thus realize that their actions are full of creativity, so that they can surpass themselves in the past with independent actions and be full of hope for the future.
Secondly, Sartre thinks that "man is man, which not only means that he is what he thinks, but also means that he is willing to be". Therefore, students should be clear about what they want to be, set lofty goals, carefully plan every day of their lives, and work hard for this goal every day. As a guide for students' growth, teachers should help students to establish a correct outlook on life and values, so that students can understand that a temporary failure will frustrate them, but it is also a new beginning and the first step to surpass themselves. People constantly create themselves and surpass themselves through experience. Besides, the grand goal of life is too empty. Teachers should guide students to plan every step of life. At different stages, set specific and feasible sub-goals, and shape yourself and create the future with practical actions again and again.
(2) Give freedom rights and establish a sense of responsibility.
1. Free choice and independent construction
Sartre pointed out that "man's freedom is freedom only because man's choice is free". Therefore, students, as the main body of learning, also have the right to freely choose the content of learning and can construct their own knowledge. Therefore, the curriculum structure should reflect the hierarchy and differences, and students can freely choose their own courses according to different development directions in the future, so as to obtain better development. More importantly, students have the right to freely choose what kind of person they will become in the future. However, parents often choose every project for their children and make life plans for them. They don't know what they want, so that they have been living in their parents' expectations and their own future. The most typical thing is that when the college entrance examination volunteers, parents control their children's choices, while those who choose the most have no right to choose. However, parents often ignore the responsibility behind making choices for their children. Parents should understand that if they make a mistake, it is the children themselves who bear the consequences. Therefore, parents need to let their children make their own choices and cultivate their individual consciousness and independent judgment. Failure is often a kind of growth.
Step 2 Cultivate a sense of responsibility
"The core idea of existentialism: the absolute essence of free responsibility." Free choice is usually accompanied by responsibility. Giving a student freedom also means that he is responsible for this choice. On the other hand, traditional teaching methods restrict students' right to freely choose learning content, freely express their personal thoughts and freely choose learning methods, and require students to be uniform, thus inhibiting students' physical and mental development and making them lack the ability of independent judgment. On the contrary, giving students more opportunities to choose freely will make them feel happy in their studies. This is at least what students choose according to their own wishes, and before choosing, students will predict their responsibilities. In this way, students will consciously assume the responsibility of coping after the action, and then develop a sense of responsibility, laying the foundation for growing into a new generation of socialist builders and successors. The pressure on teachers is also reduced.
? (3) Face others squarely
Facing up to others includes facing up to the relationship between self and others, facing up to others' evaluation of themselves and treating themselves correctly.
1. Cultivate the concept of equality and team consciousness
As a kind of self-existence, man has a subjective relationship with others. Therefore, the relationship between students and between teachers and students should be equal, not the relationship between subject and object. Only children are often paid too much attention by their parents. They usually think that they are absolute subjects and can be willful and dominate anyone. In this huge school group, students enter it as their own existence and regard others as pure objects, without realizing that others are also the main existence. Therefore, the interpersonal relationship between students is often in a state of tension. Therefore, teachers should let students know that freedom is limited, not arbitrary. Every action should take into account the feelings of others. Everyone is equal, and there is no relationship between domination and domination. Just like a class should unite as a group, everyone should understand and tolerate each other, so as to be integrated with others.
At the same time, teachers should also pay attention to students' dominant position. In teaching, both sides are subjects. Like Martin? Buber's "I-you" relationship is an equal and inclusive dialogue between two subjects. Instead of controlling students and imposing knowledge on them, teachers regard students as an independent individual and form a more equal relationship between teachers and students.
Step 2 Face up to other people's comments
If you care too much about what others think of you, it will be as painful as living in hell. Just like some students give nicknames and labels to the weak, it will make them feel frustrated, have no sense of belonging and gradually alienate the group. If students care too much about these labels, they will live in the eyes of others and will unconsciously approach them. At this time, what students need to do is to examine themselves, try to change their behavior, and break through the shackles with free actions. Otherwise, it is voluntary imprisonment, although life is still dead. In addition, some teachers often do not pay attention to protecting students' self-esteem, and they are cynical in public because of their poor exam results, which also encourages students to treat him differently. This also reminds teachers that as the guide of students' individual development, they should always encourage students, set higher expectations and change their sense of powerlessness, so that students can gain the motivation for progress.
Thirdly, Sartre's philosophical thoughts reflect on education.
? (A) the educational purpose of preventing extreme individualism
Sartre advocated that people have absolute freedom and what kind of people they become are not interfered by others. It affirms people's free development and self-choice, and is of certain value to education. Dialectically speaking, the essence of education is to cultivate people's social activities purposefully and systematically. The educational goals of the country, the training goals of schools and the teaching goals of teachers stipulate what kind of people students should be trained into. Zhang Zai, a great scholar in the Northern Song Dynasty, wrote four sentences in Hengqu, namely, "Make a heart for heaven and earth, make a life for the people, link the past with the future, and make the world peaceful", which shows the social responsibility that people have to bear. Furthermore, the essential attribute of human beings is sociality. The growth of students is a process of socialization. If education only meets students' self-needs, overemphasizes personal value and self-realization, and equates human value with social value, it will lead to extreme individualism in education.
The combination of individual-oriented value orientation and the pursuit of the well-being of others and society is the criterion that educational purposes should follow. Like the Book of Rites? According to the university's viewpoint of "self-cultivation, governing the country and leveling the world", after realizing self-improvement and development, people should cooperate and win-win in the collective, create value for society and embody personal value. Just as each of us is a member of society, it is the social responsibility of each member to fight the epidemic together. Therefore, education aims at realizing people's socialization, and on this basis, it insists on people-oriented and safeguards individual freedom.
? (2) Establish a moderately equal relationship between teachers and students.
Sartre's assertion that "others are hell" points out that the relationship between people is an equal relationship between subjects. Similarly, equality between teachers and students is put forward on the basis that both teachers and students are individuals with subjective initiative. What is outstanding is that education is an activity in which students can freely choose and decide what kind of knowledge they want to learn. Therefore, students have gained the same status as teachers, making the teaching process an equal dialogue between teachers and students. Teachers do not blindly instill knowledge, but treat students as tools to achieve teaching goals and discipline students with an authoritative attitude. Only when teachers and students communicate with each other on an equal footing can students truly understand knowledge. In this situation, students will question the knowledge taught by teachers and put forward reasons to demonstrate their own views, so as to develop students' questioning ability, independent judgment and thinking ability and make students really participate in it. Of course, this is an ideal teaching process.
But on the other hand, students' questioning is more often to increase opposition. Teachers and students insist on their own views, and students only accept what they think is right, rather than achieving the goal of two-way understanding. From this point of view, students' unlimited discussion often leads to ideological confusion. Teachers' guiding status will also be alienated and lose their ability to guide students. Therefore, education needs to advocate people-oriented, but the importance of learning individual "self" cannot be overemphasized. Education should not only emphasize the dominant position of students and teachers, but also play the leading role of teachers to better guide students to understand knowledge.
? (3) Give students appropriate choices.
Sartre pointed out that "there is no hierarchy in free choice. No matter what conditions, everyone has the freedom to choose. A person's life is a plan of constant choice. Once thrown into this world, he is constantly free to choose, constantly create the essence, and constantly create himself on the road to the future. " As far as students are concerned, they have the freedom to choose what kind of knowledge and how to study. But students want absolute freedom of choice, which is idealistic. After all, as far as the present situation of education in China is concerned, exam-oriented education is still the "protagonist", and quality education still stays on the slogan. The examination is mainly to select talents, not to focus on students' self-development. Moreover, students should realize that they are responsible for their own choices, and once they make mistakes, their development process will be affected.
Of course, this is not to deny that students should be free to some extent. For example, the presentation of teaching content should be more plastic and flexible. Textbooks can ask some open questions. By creating problem situations, teachers let students design their own plans, collect materials and explore independently, so that students can learn how to discover knowledge and independently construct the connection between old and new knowledge on the basis of original knowledge.
It can be seen that we need to treat Sartre's philosophical thoughts dialectically and reflect on our education on this basis.
Fourth, summary.
To sum up, Sartre's philosophy has many implications for education. We should grasp Sartre's philosophy as a whole, which is inseparable from freedom, responsibility and others. As far as education is concerned, teachers should not only give students the right to freedom, but also make students realize that every choice will affect the free action of others. Therefore, students are not only responsible for themselves, but also for others. Of course, any thought should be treated dialectically. Whether it is suitable for China's education depends on the current educational situation, learn from each other's strong points and take the road of educational development suitable for China.