Mencius' theory of human nature mainly includes several links: good nature, good nature and good nature. Its purpose is to make people develop "four virtues" into "four virtues after tomorrow" through moral education. Under the influence of the theory of "good nature", modern moral education has further improved the goal, function and mode of moral education according to the development of economy and society, so that the educated can use moral education to improve their "goodness" for life under the background of receiving moral education.

Confucian philosophy is full of wisdom and contains rich moral education thoughts. With its unique charm, it laid a solid foundation for modern moral education and led it to perfection. The theory of "human nature is good"-the "four virtues" of benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom, explains a purpose from ancient times to the present, that is, moral education must play its own value and significance in the process of shaping ideal personality. However, in the process of moral education, how can teachers make the educated form self-education consciousness? It has always been a question that modern moral education workers reflect on.

First, the analysis of the theory of good nature.

Mencius pointed out on Sun's ugliness: "Without compassion, it is inhuman; No shame, no humanity; It is inhuman to have no resignation; A heart without right and wrong is inhuman. Compassion is the purpose of benevolence; The heart of shame and evil, the end of righteousness; The words of the heart are the end of the ceremony; The heart of right and wrong is also the end of wisdom. People have four ends, but they still have four bodies. " The "four virtues" of human nature have found a theoretical basis for modern moral education.

(A) people's "good" and "good" motivation.

Mencius believes that there is an innate "goodness" in human nature. The so-called "goodness of human nature, even if it is still water, will flow downwards." There is nothing wrong with people, and there is nothing wrong with water. "Obviously, as an individual, there is a' good death', but this' good death' is only in the embryonic state of moral psychology and does not have the moral qualities of benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom. An individual's "human" can only become a real "human" through individual's subjective efforts and the germination of benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom. Mencius' theory of "goodness of human nature" inherits Confucius' theory of human nature, refines the essence of "goodness of human nature" and highlights its nature.

While advocating that human nature is good, Mencius also confirmed that education is a necessary condition for individual development. For every creature who comes into this world, before becoming an adult, he must first become a talent. People have dual lives, and the life inherited from parents is the material basis; To be a real person, people have to go through the "second generation"-the way of being a person, that is, "adult". Only by carrying out necessary moral education on the basis of "doing good" can people's subjective psychological feelings of "doing good" be stimulated. "Doing good" is not for fame and fortune, but for personal subjective "goodness".

(2) The meaning of "being good".

Mencius' theory of human nature demonstrates that people have the nature of "being good" and the subjective will of "being good" in the process of "becoming an adult". While affirming human's "goodness", he also demonstrated the necessary conditions for "goodness". "People who can do what they don't learn have good abilities; If you don't worry, you will have a conscience. " Mencius' exposition of human's "conscience" and "virtue" points out that universal moral norms such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom are not imposed on people from the outside, but come from people's inner nature and are born from people's good nature. However, Mencius warned people through the "sage personality" that if "goodness" is not actively preserved, it will inevitably be influenced by the outside world and gradually disappear. The noble quality of "inner sage and outer king" is the result of expanding "good death" in "doing good", and it also affirms that people realize their self-worth in "doing good". Of course, Mencius also said, "saints are like me"; "Cao Jiao asked:' Can everyone be different for Yao and Shun?' Mencius said' nature'. The personality of "sage" is endowed with extreme and mystery by human beings, which seems out of reach. But the phrase "learning from" has aroused the ambition of human beings to challenge themselves. The "four ends" of human beings show that human beings have innate ability to become virtuous, but Mencius believes that only the motivation and ability to be kind can expand the "good end" of human beings. The transformation of man from "natural person" to "social person" depends entirely on the ideological education of "seeking truth", "being kind" and "the beauty of national quintessence", which is also the only way to temper his personality when he is alive. Therefore, Mencius emphasized the importance of education while seeking external cultivation. Only when people are educated can they realize the true value of "truth, goodness and beauty".

Second, the experience of "goodness" in modern moral education.

In Mencius' view, conscience is the inner essence, the source of human external virtue, and the source of all goodness. The perfection of human nature and morality requires acquired study and hard work, and the expansion and cultivation of "goodness" under the guidance of the theory of "goodness of nature". The traditional moral education model in China emphasizes the role of teachers in moral education, while modern moral education is influenced by the theory of "goodness of nature" and advocates a teacher-led and student-centered moral education model.

(A) the goal of modern moral education under the guidance of "the theory of good nature".

The ideal goal of moral education should be "learning to be an official", that is, to achieve it with a "gentleman" personality. The theory of "human nature is good" is an education based on human intrinsic goodness. The goal of modern moral education is to grasp the possibility of moral existence and transform the possible good into the realistic good through people's internal consciousness and external cultivation. Strive to make everyone enjoy equal treatment in moral cultivation, and advocate people to demand themselves according to "ideal personality": "keep ambition, be patient, care for themselves and be self-centered". If you want to be a man of Yao and Shun, you must achieve the unity of inner spirit and external words and deeds. Mencius' humanistic concern for moral subjects shows the social requirements for morality, and we should respect and meet the needs of people's spiritual life, including moral life, and enhance people's moral ideals, moral quality and moral realm. Only by paying attention to excavating and stimulating students' inner good wishes, giving full play to the moral adjustment function of conscience, and transforming passive educational forms into active and conscious individual activities, can we finally realize people's all-round development and realize the goal of lifelong education.

(2) The function of modern moral education under the influence of "the theory of good nature".

The theory of "human nature is good" is the first time in the history of education to understand and expound human nature from a theoretical perspective. Modern educational thoughts explore the essence of "goodness" from both teachers and students, which is the basic condition for the smooth progress of educational activities. Teachers set an example for students with the spirit of "goodness"; Plan the development process based on students' "goodness". Students take "goodness" as the foundation and expand in the education of others; Based on "goodness", realize self-worth in self-education. The starting point of moral life is not zero, and children are the main body of moral life from the beginning. Imagine that in the process of education, teachers realize that students have "good conscience" and "good ability not to learn"; In the teaching process, let students realize their willingness and ability to be kind, and perhaps the effectiveness of moral education can be truly realized. Mencius' "four virtues" and "five permanents" injected a kind of moral consciousness and ethical spirit into China traditional culture. The process of expanding "goodness" is the process of constructing harmonious ethics between man and society. Society develops in virtue, and people become talents in virtue. Without moral education, there is no spiritual home for people. A society without morality is chaotic and dangerous. Moral education provides the most fundamental material and spiritual guarantee for society and human beings with the spirit of "human nature is good". The "people-oriented theory" of "the benevolent is invincible" and "having fun with the people" enlightens that school education must be based on "moral education" and advocate the moral education goal of "respecting the virtuous and respecting the moral". Only in this way can the true meaning of moral education be brought into play. Moral education is based on "good beginning" and provides a stage for students' physical and mental development.

(3) Modern moral education mode under the implication of "the theory of good nature".

The nature of "goodness" provides the possibility for human moral education to pursue the ideal goal of "noble spirit" Mencius' theory of "goodness of nature" analyzes how to turn the possibility into reality, and the specific moral education model is the dialectical unity of knowing and doing. This highlights the Confucian discussion on the relationship between knowing and doing of moral theory and practice, and the focus of moral cultivation should be on "doing" and "doing". So how does modern moral education transform moral concepts into moral behaviors through specific moral education models? Mencius' moral education thought of "seeking from within and practicing from outside" reveals that the main way of modern moral education is to improve the consciousness of moral education and cultivate moral self. The essence of this practice is to emphasize that individuals should show their subjectivity in their actions, attach importance to self-thinking, self-judgment and self-experience, learn to think independently and make appropriate choices. This thought has something in common with contemporary methods of value clarification, and it is the same as the emphasis on "learning to choose" in contemporary moral education.

The personality ideal created by Mencius is essentially the ideal model of noble morality in the modern moral education model. He believes that the completion of morality is a four-terminal expansion and development, and you can have a thorough self-understanding. This is the so-called "dedication". Any moral education paradigm is based on the understanding of a certain moral learning mechanism. However, the real moral education with "moral" significance is not to instill existing social moral norms and codes of conduct into students, so that students can become "a collection of virtues", but to "inspire" and "awaken" students' moral consciousness and moral conscience, so that students can establish moral ideals and understand the true meaning of life. At present, there is a popular saying in society to comment on school moral education, that is, "5+2 = 0", that is, a student's five-day ideological education at school can't match the influence of family and society on him for two days. As Mencius said, the moral concepts of "intentional nature" and "anti-self" warn us that we must overthrow the dogmatism and formalization of modern moral education. As the saying goes, "the extension of life is as big as the extension of moral education." Life world is the foundation of moral education ". Modern moral education mode must inherit and carry forward the traditional moral education concept, and permeate the value and significance of moral education from the inside out.

Third, the future reform of moral education is a derivative of "the theory of good nature".

Now, people's material living standards have reached a fairly high level. While creating material civilization, we should pursue high-level "goodness", endow it with broader connotation and distinctive characteristics of the times, and strive to create the unity of truth, goodness and beauty. Mencius' theory of "good nature" with moral responsibility consciousness can awaken people's belief in pursuing personality ideal, actively realize and improve their own morality, and assume their due social responsibilities. The future education will eventually move towards the mode of lifelong education, and the form of moral learning must rely on individual initiative, and the formation of morality should be completed naturally. The future moral development depends on moral acceptance and moral choice. In life and study, when people choose fields that they are interested in or think are important, the vast space left can be left to their own moral instinctive reactions and habitual behaviors. When there is a conflict between morality and society, there will be an act of independent choice, which will conform to the natural state of moral life and improve the moral efficiency of individuals.