On the Similarities and Differences between Confucius and Mozi's Educational Thoughts —— Also on the Similarities and Differences between Confucius and Mozi's Educational Thoughts
Author: Liu
Abstract: Kong Qiu, the founder of Confucianism, and Mo Zhai, the founder of Mohism, are both great thinkers. Both Confucianism and Mohism attach importance to education and put forward many important educational ideas. Both Confucius and Mozi affirmed that education must serve social politics, and both believed that human nature is changeable, and that environment and education can influence and change human nature. Confucius proposed to cultivate a ruling class with both ability and political integrity. Mohism advocates cultivating scholars or sages who are beneficial to the world and eliminate the harm of the world. Confucius and Mozi have both similarities and differences in educational contents, principles of education and teaching, educational objects and treatment of ancient cultural classics.
Keywords: Confucius; Mozi; Educational thought
From 770 BC and Dong Wang moved to Luoyi, to 22 BC1year, Qin merged with the six countries. Before and after 500 years, the royal family declined, the princes competed for hegemony, and the seven countries dominated, which was called the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. This period is the transition period of China society from slavery to feudalism. During this period, the liberation of productive forces brought about economic development, changes in economic base and political changes. The collapse of rites marks the decline of kingship. In this situation, cultural education has also changed. Its main signs are the decline of official schools and the rise of private schools.
First of all, briefly introduce the private school of Confucius and Mozi.
1. Confucius private school
Confucius lived in the late Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, society was in a turbulent period of decline of kingship and collapse of rites and music. At this time, the ruling class was too busy with political struggle to care about education. The emperor lost his official position, studied in Siyi, and moved down in culture and education. Confucius adapted to the needs of society and founded a private school, which was of great scale and influence. He realized the transformation from an official to a hundred schools of thought contending, broke the imprisonment of the integration of politics and religion, made education independent, opened a new chapter in the development of ancient education in China, promoted historical development, trained many talents, made great contributions to the society at that time, and had a far-reaching impact on later generations.
2. Mozi private school
Mozi, who started a private school after Confucius, had a great influence. Mozi studied Confucian commerce and was influenced by Confucius' skills. He thought his ceremony disturbed him and said nothing. He ruined the poor, squandered wealth, and (over time) hurt people, so he replaced Zhou Dao with Xia Zheng. He started his own private school and founded Mohism, which was opposite to Confucianism. Mohism is unique and attaches importance to science and technology education, including knowledge and technology in optics, geometry, physics, carpentry and self-defense equipment. There are many scholars and disciples all over the world. Lu Chunqiu said: After Confucius and Mohism, there were many venerable people in the world. Confucianism and Mohism are both famous scholars in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
Both Confucianism and Mohism attach importance to education and put forward many important educational ideas. But there are similarities and differences between them.
Second, the similarities between Confucius and Mozi's educational thoughts 1. Both of them affirm that education must serve the society and politics in its educational function.
First, Confucius inherited the moral and cultural traditions of King Wen and Duke Zhou, advocated the rule of virtue, and implemented the rule of virtue and benevolent government. Confucius believes that governing a country only depends on government decrees and criminal laws, and governance and ethics are better. Confucius believes that politics, morality and education are inseparable and unified whole, and education is the means of moral education. In the Analects of Confucius, he proposed to govern the country by virtue and hoped that the monarch would govern the country by virtue. Relying on the decree and criminal law, the Tao is political and civilian, free from punishment, but shameless. It is better to make people ashamed and qualified by moral courtesy. He pointed out that only by attaching importance to moral cultivation and education can a good social atmosphere and social order be formed, the people can live and work in peace and contentment, and the country can prosper. Confucius believes that moral cultivation and moral education can not only improve the moral quality of social individuals, but also play an important role in governing the country and maintaining social stability. Society is composed of individuals. To establish a good social order and atmosphere, we must attach importance to personal moral cultivation and education. The individual moral quality of social members is the basis of social moral atmosphere, which affects the moral outlook of social members. The two depend on each other and influence each other. Confucius believes that education is more important and effective than government decrees and criminal laws. Although he thinks that education and politics are closely related, they are not the same. Education only influences politics by spreading culture, cultivating people's moral sentiments and improving people's quality.
Secondly, Mozi represents the interests of small producers. He hopes to improve people's consciousness and quality through education, realize the perfection of society, and let everyone love each other and benefit each other. In view of the social ills at that time, he believed that people could not live and work in peace and contentment because people did not love each other and fought for power and profit. Therefore, he put forward the idea of loving all and not attacking, and strongly hoped to stop the war and let the hungry people have food, the cold people have clothes and workers have rest. He opposed the hereditary system of slave owners, advocated virtuous Shang Tong, and hoped that rulers and working people would love each other and benefit each other, so as to build an ideal society of fairness, justice, honesty, friendship, stability and order.
Education and environment can change human nature.
On the relationship between education and human nature, both Confucius and Mozi believe that human nature is changeable, and environment and education can influence and change human nature.
First, Confucius clearly pointed out that sex is similar, but learning from each other is far away. Sex refers to people's innate quality, and habit refers to the influence of acquired education and social environment. Confucius thought that human nature was very close, but later there were great differences, mainly the result of education and learning. People's intelligence is not born, but the result of acquired learning. Anyone who is educated and studies hard will surely succeed. So Confucius paid special attention to education. He believes that only by constantly learning and learning can people acquire all knowledge, abilities and virtues. However, Confucius retained the remnants of the conclusion of fate, divided human nature into levels, thought that only the wisdom of the upper class and the stupidity of the lower class remained unchanged, and admitted that a few saints were born with knowledge, but the lower class could not learn.
Secondly, Mozi also attached importance to the role of environment and education. He developed Confucius' idea that human nature is similar and complement each other. He believes that human nature is like silk, which is pale when dyed in the sky and yellow when dyed in yellow. People's environment and education make people form different human natures. Mozi takes dyeing silk as an example to illustrate the role and influence of environment and education on people. Mozi opposed the conclusion of the theory of destiny, holding that officials are impermanent and the people are not cheap, denying Confucius' theory of being wise above others, emphasizing the equality of human nature, affirming that education and environment can change human nature, and at the same time emphasizing the exertion of human initiative, thinking that people's wealth is not determined by nature, but the result of acquired environment, education and subjective efforts.
Third, the differences between Confucius and Mozi's educational thoughts 1. Educational purposes are different.
First, for the purpose of education, Confucius proposed to train politicians with both ability and political integrity, that is, gentlemen, and let them participate in the management of state affairs. At the same time, Confucius also advocated that learning is the best way to be an official, and learning is the best way to be an official. He linked learning with being an official, guaranteed being an official by learning excellence, supported meritocracy, and opposed the hereditary system of cronyism within the ruling class at that time, so as to cultivate talents needed by the ruling class.
Second, Mozi represents the interests of small producers and advocates cultivating scholars or sages who are changeable, that is, people who will benefit the world and eliminate its harm. Mozi believes that only a part-time practitioner loves himself can he love others, and can he eliminate social evils such as chaos, hunger, food, cold, clothing, labor and rest, and make the world peaceful.
2. Different educational contents
First, in terms of educational content, Confucius studied the Six Classics, such as Yi Chunqiu, with the educational purpose of cultivating talents to govern the country and ensuring the safety of the people as the focus. He believes that poetry and music play an important educational role, so he pays attention to poetry and music as teaching materials to cultivate students' moral feelings. He asked students to be interested in poetry, to stand in the ceremony and to be happy. He said: recite 300 poems and teach them to be political, which can't be achieved; Make it everywhere, not just right; Although a lot, but also xi thought? He believes that studying poetry can cultivate students' ability to be a father and king, and requires students to stand on the world according to the viewpoint of poetry. He advocates studying literature when you have spare capacity, with special emphasis on ideological quality and moral education. Generally speaking, Confucius ignored the teaching of natural science knowledge, despised the education of productive labor knowledge and skills, and attached importance to literature.
Secondly, in order to cultivate sage scholars, Mozi emphasized moral education and undifferentiated love in the dominant ideological system, so as to cultivate noble moral quality and firm political belief of sage scholars. In terms of educational content and methods, we should pay attention to the cultivation and training of natural science, production skills, military knowledge and skills, and debate ability to help students acquire practical skills in their respective fields; Cultivate and train students' logical thinking ability, so that they have the ability to convince others and carry out their own political opinions. Generally speaking, Mozi's educational content has broken through the category of six arts and has its own characteristics.
3. Different views on the line
First, Confucius emphasized moral practice, with propriety and benevolence as the core and filial piety as the foundation. In the method of moral education, it advocates seeking from the inside, not from the outside, and advocates cultivating a gentleman with the qualities of courtesy, benevolence and filial piety. He believes that the study of general knowledge should also run through moral education and promote moral cultivation with knowledge learning. Profound knowledge can avoid moral deviation. Learning without doing is equivalent to not learning. He attached great importance to moral practice, carried out courtesy and benevolence in all aspects of social relations, and advocated the unity of knowledge and action. He attaches great importance to the cultivation of ethics and morality, and attaches great importance to the problem of internal motivation. In the aspect of moral cultivation, it emphasizes that desire obeys rationality and takes behavioral motivation as the standard to measure moral behavior. Put forward the moral standard of self-denial, which requires self-starting and high subjective initiative. Benevolence is subjective consciousness, and virtue is the inner thoughts and feelings of people, which are reflected through actions. The ultimate goal of moral cultivation and moral education lies in moral practice, and practice is the basis of morality. The content of moral education mentioned by Confucius includes moral understanding, moral emotion, moral will and moral behavior. In the Analects of Confucius, there are many remarks that emphasize practice. Confucius suggested that a gentleman should be ashamed of words rather than deeds; Gentleman's words don't begin; He should listen to his words and watch his actions; To achieve the ideal moral realm of "I want benevolence, I want compassion", we must match words with deeds, perfectly combine internal moral quality with external performance, and the quality is superior to literature, and the quality of literature is history. Gentle, then a gentleman. Quality refers to internal moral quality, while literature refers to external etiquette. Confucius thought that it was easy to be rude if there were only good internal qualities without corresponding external performance; It will be futile to have external performance without internal moral quality. Only by unifying the inner moral cultivation with the outer moral practice can we become a gentle gentleman. Confucius used this to coordinate the interpersonal relationship in feudal society and maintain the feudal rule of honor and inferiority.
Second, Mozi emphasized that the line content is wider. Advocate indiscriminate love in moral education, and realize equality and harmony between people with fraternity; Eliminate the unjust movement of bullying by not attacking; Shang Xian broke the hereditary privilege and realized the sage politics; Stop wasting people and money by saving money; Encourage people to exert their subjective initiative and strive for self-improvement in social practice. Restrict the ruler's behavior through heaven and earth, and make him have compassion for the people. The purpose of production, science and technology and military affairs is to help part-time scholars acquire various practical skills, cultivate their logical thinking ability and argumentation ability, and promote their own political opinions. Part-time scholars trained by Mohism not only received systematic moral education of loving but not attacking, but also mastered rich cultural and scientific knowledge, and also had the ability to apply scientific skills to practice. Mozi advocates the unity of motivation and effect as the criterion for judging behavior. He believes that a complete moral behavior should have both internal and external factors. Before the behavior, there are factors such as motivation and desire; After the behavior appears, it should have practical effect. These two aspects are interrelated. It can be seen that Mohism attaches great importance to the combination of thought and practice, and appeals not only internally but also externally in moral education methods. The purpose of Mozi education is to cultivate part-time scholars with noble moral quality, and these part-time scholars must have certain practical ability.
The principles of education and teaching are different.
First, regarding the principles of education and teaching, Confucius took a passive attitude of waiting for knocking and not knocking. In imparting knowledge to students, he adopted passive methods of not being angry, not being angry, not giving up, and not giving inferences, so that he would not wait any longer.
Secondly, Mozi adopted completely different educational and teaching principles from Confucius. Mozi takes it as his duty to promote the benefits of the world and eliminate the disadvantages of the world. He wants to realize his social ideal through social education, but he doesn't agree with the educational principles of Confucianism and others. Therefore, Mozi adopted a positive and powerful attitude. He advocated giving full play to the leading role of teachers in teaching, and advised students to preach and teach, knock and ring, don't knock and ring, ask and answer, and don't ask and say.
5. Different educational goals
First, as far as the object of education is concerned, Confucius taught people to be open to all, put forward the idea of teaching without distinction, expanded the object of education, broke the monopoly of a few slave owners and nobles on cultural education, and enabled those who were willing to study but were allowed to study economically and in time to have the right and opportunity to receive education, regardless of wealth, dignity and nationality, which expanded the social foundation of education, met the desire of ordinary people to attend school and adapt to society.
Secondly, Mozi further broadened the scope of Confucius' educational objects. He advocated that everyone should be educated, taking princes, nobles and hikers as his educational objects, and expanding the educated groups to lower-class workers. Mozi also took the initiative to teach those who didn't come He gave full play to the initiative of forcing others to speak, sent others to the door, and took teaching as his responsibility, hoping to realize his political views by talking above and teaching below.
6. Treat the differences of cultural classics.
First, in dealing with ancient cultural classics, Confucius paid attention to narration, emphasized indirect experience such as ancient cultural knowledge and political knowledge, and adopted a conservative attitude of believing in the ancient times, saying but not doing. In his later years, with rigorous academic spirit, he edited five Poems, sixty-five Books, sixty-five Rites, sixty-five Music, sixty-five Change and six Spring and Autumn Annals. One of Confucius' greatest contributions to cultural education is to sort out and preserve China's ancient cultural classics.
Secondly, compared with Confucius, Mozi pays more attention to writing cultural classics, that is, he has the creative spirit of description and writing. He thinks: I think ancient goodness is described, and today's goodness is made. If you want to be good, you can get a lot of benefits. We should not only inherit the good things in ancient culture, but also create new good things to increase them day by day; We should not only inherit the indirect experience such as ancient cultural knowledge and political knowledge, but also apply it to practice to test, perfect, expand and develop these indirect experiences in practice.
Four. conclusion
The social changes in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period promoted the unprecedented activity in the ideological field. The rise of private schools and the prevalence of cultivating scholars directly promoted the development of various schools, forming a situation in which a hundred schools of thought contend. Confucianism and Mohism, known as "outstanding schools" at that time, were the two most influential schools at that time. They had a heated debate, absorbed and infiltrated each other, thus achieving academic prosperity and greatly promoting their further development. The educational thoughts of Confucianism and Mohism contain many reasonable thoughts, which have far-reaching influence on later generations and still have great enlightenment and reference significance.
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