"Random Talk on Education" was originally a letter that Locke and his good friend Edward Grey Ke discussed about education. Locke once served as the tutor of Earl of shaftesbury and Edward Gerakl, and accumulated rich educational experience, which laid a certain foundation for Locke's theory of gentleman education. 1693 published a book on education.
Locke systematically put forward the following educational thoughts in his Random Talk on Education: 1. The function, purpose and method of education; Second, the contents and methods of gentleman education-physical education, moral education, intellectual education and exercise. Based on Locke's understanding of the purpose of gentleman education, the content of gentleman education is divided into three aspects: physical education, intellectual education and moral education, and the practice exercise method is implemented in the three kinds of education respectively. Random Talk on Education reflects Locke's ideological system of gentleman education, which is the most concentrated embodiment of Locke's educational thought and occupies an important position in the history of modern education.
On the role of education, Locke resolutely opposed the genetic determinism advocated by feudal nobles in Random Talk on Education, and put forward the famous "whiteboard theory", which placed high hopes on the role of education in cultivating talents and strengthening the country, showing that the emerging bourgeoisie attached great importance to education, which was undoubtedly of progressive significance. However, Locke did not realize the dialectical relationship between education, environment and heredity, let alone that education is restricted by economy and politics and has a theoretical tendency of omnipotence, which is obviously wrong.
In the way of education, out of dissatisfaction with the classical humanism of British schools at that time, that is, attaching importance to ancient prose, ignoring practical knowledge, attaching importance to form, ignoring content and ignoring children's age characteristics and personality characteristics, Locke believed that gentleman education could only be carried out through family education, and categorically denied school education. Although Locke's thought has its objective reasons, it does reflect the class prejudice that British aristocrats have attached importance to family education and neglected school education since the Middle Ages. Of course, it also includes Locke's correct thought of attaching importance to teaching students in accordance with their aptitude in education.
One of Locke's great contributions in "Random Talk on Education" is to put forward an educational system including physical education, moral education and intellectual education. Locke attaches great importance to sports. At that time, under the rule of scholastic philosophy education, which regarded the human body as a prison of the soul, thus ignoring physical health and opposing physical exercise, Locke's sports thought was tantamount to breaking ground and making people feel refreshed. Locke's Random Talk on Education occupies an important position in the history of western educational thought and has an important influence on the educational practice and the development of educational theory of the bourgeoisie in various countries.