A Study On Confucian Traditional Ideas Of Moral Education

Our basic idea of morals was originated in the last phase of Primitive Society, which emphasized "Courtesy" and was based on the order of patriarchal system and ties of blood. When the time came to the Period of Spring-autumn and Warring States, lots of schools of thought began to flourish, but each school valued moral education. Among them, the thought of Confucianists became most influential, it made up the essence of moral culture of our country.The Confucianists represented by Confucius have been paying much attention to issues of moral education, they have made great efforts in illustrating the importance and necessity of moral education from the views of human nature and politics. Firstly, in the period prior to Qin Dynasty, the early representatives, such as Confucius, Mencius and Xuncius, established a system of moral education which focused on "Kindness" and aimed to promote the acquirement of individual virtues and improvement of moral principles. Secondly, in Han, Sui and Tang Dynasty, Confucianists such as Dong Zhongsu, Ban Gu and Wang Fu inherited and developed the traditional idea of moral education in the aspects of content and methods. And then, in Song and Ming Dynasty, great thinkers as Zhu Xi, Wang Shouren and Wang Fuzhi made new contributions to the thought of moral education, they summed up the former ideas and improved them, then set up a new system in moral education. They strengthened the rationalization of "kindness" education and further bettered the thought of moral education.The Confucianists not only valued the moral education to other people, but also paid a lot attention to the realizing ways of self-education. They held the idea "self- -moral-accomplishment was most important in life" and even thought self-accomplishment should be the foundation of governing and constructing a country. They also put forward a series ofapproaches to realize self-accomplishment.Moral education and self-accomplishment become the two main ways to make people to acquire morals and virtues. The Confucian theory and practice of morals have penetrated the whole society of China, and formed a net of moral education everywhere.The Confucianism, which focused on "Kindness" and thought a man of noble character as the best in the society, became a practical and distinctive theory in China's history. It lay down the foundation of moral education in ancient China and made great contribution to improve the moral level of the whole nation, to sustain the stability of the country and to enhance the cohesive force of the people. The Confucianism has had great influence on moral education since it was established, and still has enormous value nowadays. In the modern society, it is quite necessary to study the practical value of the traditional thought of moral education.