Paper Keywords: Strauss; Freedom; ; Teacher-student view; look

Abstract: Strauss's educational thought has its profound roots. This paper discusses Strauss's thought of free education from the aspects of its meaning, cultural view, goal, teacher-student view and implementation approach, and tries to make a simple comment on its educational influence. ?

Strauss is a famous American political philosopher and thinker in the 20th century. He has been paying attention to the crisis of politics and modernity all his life. The Strauss School, composed of Strauss and his disciples, has gradually exerted an important influence on the American world since the 1980s, among which Allen? Bloom is a big disciple of Strauss and the head of the second generation of Strauss School.

Strauss's political philosophy is profound, and his analysis of contemporary politics and democracy is of great significance to modern society. His criticism of relativism and nihilism and his analysis of modern culture are profound, and the thought of free education is based on such a profound philosophical thought. On June 6th, 1959, held at University College of Chicago, USA? Basic plan for adult free education? At the tenth graduation ceremony, Strauss was invited to give a speech. He took this opportunity to explain his thoughts on modern university education, that is, what is free education. Later, for this time, the United States? Adult education fund? I asked Strauss for a manuscript, and then Strauss wrote Free Education and Responsibility. These two articles embody the idea of liberal education.

First, Strauss's definition of free education

Free education is an educational viewpoint and ideal in the history of western education. Aristotle first put forward this concept, and with its development, different times have given it different connotations. In the article What is Free Education, Strauss gives a conceptual definition of free education: free education is education in or towards culture, and his finished product is an educated person. In Strauss's exposition, we can see that liberal education is based on? Free thinking, magnanimity and open mind? It is characterized by cultivating people with perfect noble temperament, seeking wisdom and knowledge about the most important, highest or most complete things. He put free education at the height of human society and human nature development.

Second, Strauss's cultural outlook

From the meaning of liberal education, we can see that Strauss established liberal education on the right wing? Culture? Understanding of this word. What does the culture here mean? Strauss used a lot of space to clarify his cultural view and criticized the self-evident and inaccurate cultural status quo, thus restoring the original meaning of culture.

(a) Culture is a single concept

In Strauss's view, culture? First of all, it means cultivation: cultivation of soil and its crops, care of soil and improvement of soil quality according to its properties. This is an etymological analysis of culture. Strauss thinks that in this sense, as far as deduction is concerned, culture? Nowadays, it mainly refers to cultivating the mind according to the mind, caring for and improving the mind endowment.

Strauss didn't elaborate further? The essence of the mind? What is it, but from his argument, we can know that he holds a kind of? Theory of good nature? Suppose. In his view, the essence of the soul is pure, noble and rational, in order to seek wisdom, happiness and virtue. So culture is an absolute concept and a singular one. Only those that are suitable for the nobility and purity of the soul and can improve the quality of the soul are the real cultures. In bloom's words? It seems to imply something noble, profound and awesome, and we must pay tribute to it. Society? 、? Country? Or even? Civilization? In contrast, it is almost never used in a derogatory sense. ? General education is to cultivate and promote people in such a culture. Strauss realized that such a culture no longer exists in modern society:

? It seems that our idea of liberal education is not suitable for such an era, that is, it realizes that there is no culture of human mind, but there are many cultures, which are no longer absolute, but only relative. It's hard to say what the plural culture really means. Because of this ambiguity, people have explicitly or implicitly expressed that culture is the equivalent model of any group of people. ?

Strauss criticized the so-called multiculturalism in modern society here, which is actually not a real culture, but a reciprocal model of any group of people. This culture does not participate in value judgment, and there is no distinction between good and bad. In fact, it is the expression of western value relativism.

(2) Culture should be aristocratic culture.

From Strauss's analysis of culture, we can know what culture is in the initial sense. Noble culture? . This kind of culture is contained in those great works, which is a reflection on major issues in life and is not easy to be understood by the public. This kind of culture is oppressive, autocratic and unequal to modern people, so it does not conform to the modern concepts of democracy, equality, openness and freedom. Western modernity therefore subverts this aristocratic education tradition and replaces it with diversified mass culture. In Strauss's view, popular culture is vulgar and cheap, losing its eternal value, thus becoming a trend. Pop culture is such a culture, which is occupied by the lowest ability without any intellectual and moral efforts, and is extremely cheap. But even mass culture, to be exact, needs the constant support of so-called new ideas, which are the products of those so-called creative people? Strauss criticized this cultural view.

(C) Western culture in the traditional sense

The culture in Strauss's free education refers to the culture in the traditional western sense, that is, the great works left by those great minds. But Strauss also admitted that the greatest ideas we should listen to are not just the greatest ideas in the West. What prevents us from listening to the greatest ideas of India and China is only regrettable poverty: we don't understand them and can't learn all the languages. ? Knowing this clearly, we can be sure that Strauss's liberal education is not narrow.

Third, the goal of liberal education thought.

Strauss attaches great importance to the role of educational goals. Is it? Always only consider the best or highest purpose of education, and pay little attention to the past conditions and how to implement education. ?

(A) the product of free education is educated people.

While defining liberal education, Strauss pointed out the goal of liberal education: to cultivate a literate person, that is, a person facing culture. According to Strauss's explanation of culture, this means that free education will make people's minds tend to be perfect in virtue and rationality. Since Socrates, the west has always believed that man is a rational animal, and rationality can be constantly exercised and improved. Free education is to give full play to people's rationality and make it more perfect. Only through the continuous development of reason can people get real freedom. The realistic basis of the goal of free education is that in modern mass society, human virtue and rationality have been seriously challenged.

(2) Cultivate wise rulers

Strauss mentioned it in the article "Free Education and Responsibility"? People make themselves saints through education and free education? . Cultivating sages is the main goal of free education, which enables the educated to achieve the character and taste of sages. Strauss pointed out the virtues of sages by comparing them with philosophers. In his view, philosophers are the smartest and most moral people, so they are the best people. Sages are actually lower than philosophers. ? Philosophers are the best people in terms of their nature and education. ,? Philosophy transcends the qualities of sages. Sages are sages because they believe and accept certain things, and these things are the themes that philosophers explore and explore. So, the virtues of sages and philosophers are not exactly the same? . Strauss believes that the reason why liberal education should cultivate sages instead of philosophers is mainly because the former can accept something, contribute to the real political world and lead politics to the people's welfare. Although the latter has mastered the truth and is the embodiment of wisdom, it is precisely because of this quality and his unacceptable attitude towards the opinion world that it will inevitably lead to fear and confusion in the opinion world.

Fourth, Strauss's view of teachers and students.

Since ancient times, the two most essential and important factors in education are teachers and students. Strauss's exposition of the concept of teachers and students in free education makes us feel refreshed.

(A) the emergence of teachers and the quality of teachers

Strauss pointed out in the article "What is Free Education": Just as the soil needs its nurturers, so does the soul need teachers. But training a teacher is not as easy as training a farmer. Teachers are students themselves and must be students. But this return can't last indefinitely: in the end, some teachers will definitely stop being students. No longer a teacher of students, but a great mind. Or in order to avoid ambiguity on such an important matter, it can be said to be the biggest mind. These people are really rare. ?

In Strauss's view, there are very few real teachers, and it is impossible for most people to listen to their teachings. In reality, we are faced with a teacher who is a student and has the same ordinary mentality as the students. In freedom, most people are just students, but there are also veterans and novices among these students, that is, experienced students and less experienced students. In education, those experienced students act as teachers to help less experienced students. Together, they approach those great ideas by studying the great works left by those great ideas, and real teachers communicate with us in books. In our classroom teaching, teachers and experienced students should be modest and prudent, and make progress together with students. I believe that there are always some students who are far better than themselves in knowledge and temperament. The only thing a teacher should value most is his own responsibility. Strauss believes that teachers' work and responsibility lies in: doing their best in class; Be persuasive when talking with students, whether they are officially registered students or not; Finally, you should go all out to learn your own knowledge.

(2) Students

Strauss believes that the most important conditions of education are the quality of educators and the qualifications of educatees, and points out that these conditions are difficult to achieve and cannot be perfected. From the perspective of the educated, this means that people who receive free education must have natural advantages, which cannot be changed by human resources. According to Strauss, these natural advantages are wealth and good birth. Being rich means that these people don't have to take up study time to arrange their lives, which is the premise of free education. Well-born students refer to the descendants of pioneers, wartime leaders and congressional leaders who made great contributions to the country after they became nobles. It can be said that they are elite citizens. Therefore, Strauss believes that free education is destined to be only the right of some people. In modern times, everyone is equal, and all citizens have the right to receive education regardless of their origins and beliefs. This view of education is bound to be questioned by people. Strauss explained it this way:? If you insist that the social order must be consistent with the natural order in a tolerable strict degree, that is, people with more or less the same nature should also be equal in society or customs, then you are only leading to a general monotonous state. Only according to the narrow view of justice, which stems from the impulse of jealousy, will people choose a monotonous flat-topped house instead of another one: it rises from a monotonous broad foundation to a unique and elegant platform, thus adding elegance and characteristics to its foundation?

Fifth, the ways and means to realize free education return to classicism.

Strauss didn't talk much about the conditions of education and how to implement it, but he always advocated it in free education. Free education lies in studying the great works left by the greatest thinkers with special care? This is the only way to realize free education. This is Strauss's teaching method of returning to classicism.

Unique caution has at least two meanings here: first, we must listen patiently and carefully to the differences between great minds. So we are forced to judge these differences, and we should not believe what any of them say, nor should we blindly follow them. Therefore, general education opposes simple indoctrination. Even though we are far from the great mind, as students, we still have the right and responsibility to keep our position and thoughts. Secondly, in the process of this kind of communication, we must have a pious mood and a sense of awe. If we are given the right to decide, we should think carefully about whether we have the ability. Modern people have assumed the role of arbiter with considerable confidence. Strauss thinks this is because of the kind we modern people hold? Modern times must be better than ancient times? From our point of view, should we? Smarter than the smartest people in the past? . We firmly believe that we have found the truth that cannot be absolutely correct, so modern people believe that they have the ability to play the role of arbitrator. Strauss? Unique caution? The second meaning is intended to remind us to reflect on our position and ability.

Sixth, the concept of free education.

Strauss holds a metaphysical moral view. He believes that virtue is worth choosing for its own reasons, and the same understanding can be said to be a belief in virtue itself. Modern people think that morality is a tool to maintain the balance of interests among individuals and a strategy to maintain the convenience of life and individual self-protection. In Strauss's view, modern morality pays more attention to the conception and implementation of the system, rather than shaping people's character through free education.

The moral ideal of liberal education is to cultivate good people. There is a difference between a good man and a good citizen. Well, it's not a specific concept, so we can't use modern people's? Science? The standard of measurement. This is different from modern people making various rules and regulations to measure a person's moral level. The standard of a good citizen changes with the times, because a good citizen is more like an idea than a system. Good people are good in any society, which can be felt and observed, but cannot be measured. Strauss did not point out how to put this moral concept of liberal education into practice, which is only a theoretical conception. But looking at the whole idea of general education, it can actually be regarded as an elaboration of moral education thought. From the above ideas, we can find the goal and implementation way of moral education. Liberal education pursues people's Excellence and virtue, which determines that it is moral education itself.

Seven. conclusion

As a famous politician, Strauss has exerted great influence in China's political circles in recent years. Some people think that Strauss's topic is hotter in China than in the United States. However, few people in China pay attention to his thought of liberal education. People are familiar with his disciple Bloom's Towards a Closed American Spirit, which is regarded as the popularization of Strauss's liberal educational thought. His thought is rooted in Strauss's thought of free education, and a deep understanding of this thought is beneficial to our education. It is true that there are many defects and deficiencies in Strauss's thought of liberal education: idealization, elitism, conservatism and so on. Strauss himself realized that this idea could not be universally implemented. But in universities, especially in humanities education, free education is an inevitable choice for those who pursue truth, goodness and beauty and a better life.

References:

Strauss [1]. What is general education [a]. Editor: Chen. Classics and Interpretation (5) [c]. Beijing: Huaxia Publishing House, 2005.2,3,4,7, 1.

[2][ America] Allen? Bloom. Miao Qing, Song Lina and so on. The American spirit towards the end [M]. Beijing: China Social Sciences Press, 1994.38+095.

[3] Author Strauss. Xiao Jian translation, free education and responsibility [a]. Editor: Chen. Classics and Interpretation (5) [c]. Beijing: Huaxia Publishing House, September 2005, 13, 1 1.

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