"'Dao'Complying With Nature" And "Education Conforming To Instincts"

The natural educational thoughts occupy an important position in both the eastern and western educational theories, it is of ancient origin and long development, and its source can be traced back as early as to ancient Greece in the West and the Spring-Autumn and Warring-States Period in ancient China. During these periods, there were some philosophers who had some words in their works concerning the natural educational ideas. But in educational practice, we always adopt the other kinds of educational thoughts, but ignored the natural educational thoughts. While these questions disturbed us all the time, this text tries to give us an answer through the comparison of the eastern and western natural educational thoughts.In different ages, the presentation of the eastern and western natural educational thoughts was not the same, but its core has always been constant, that is, education should adapt to the disposition of the person and follow the characters of the nature. Although the eastern and the western natural educational thoughts were developed in different regions and ages, there still have some similarities in their thoughts. They all criticized the education for suppressing person's nature, it is present as the following parts, for example, the purpose of education in the present society distorting the human nature,the context of education vanished the human nature, and the methods of education suppressed the human nature. Education should follow the natural regulations and children's nature, this theory comes out from the talents'thoughts, and lacks of the corresponding schools, it is the thought of the people in misfortune, so it was likely to be marginal. Anyhow it has great significance and lasting influence in the history of education. It is certain that there are different thoughts with varying politics, economies and cultures, the natural educational theories are no exception either. The same theory had different presentations in the western and eastern natural educational thoughts, including the objects of the theories -----"Sage"or"Citizen"; the understanding of...