Witchcraft And Education In The Pre-Qin Period

This paper is divided into six chapters which discuss witchcraft and education in the Pre-Qin period.Chapter 1 defines the concepts of witches and wizards and witchcraftWitches and wizards were engaged in invocation, divination, and horoscopy. They also blessed, dispelled calamities and cured illness for people. Actually, they were the earliest knowledge owners and knowledge transmitters. Witchcraft, including sortilege, the practice of foretelling the future was a special behavior which attempted to control or to influence some people and things through the mysterious strength of the supernatural. Witches and wizards and their sorcery and witchcraft inosculated or intertwined intimately. Witchcraft was carried on by both witches and wizards. They were the performers and executants in the sorcery procedure. The witches and wizards appeared after sorcery was needed by the tribes.Chapter 2 analyses the origins of the witches and wizards, witchcraft and education.The witches'and wizards'appearance were how the early men tried to prove the homologous relationship between human beings and the outside the world. They acted as middle-men. After man's culture had further evolution, thinking and speaking abilities had been developed, and the original religious idea started, which was witchcraft. Education began because of the demands of social production and man's survival. The transmission of man's living experience was the earliest education. Based on this study, follows a discussion of the origins of education related to the witches and wizards and their practice of witchcraft.Chapter 3 discusses in detail both witchcraft and education in the period of the primitive society.1. Witchcraft in primitive societyThe idea of witchcraft appeared in the late Paleolithic period. The sorcery was widespread and popular in early days. People discovered afterwards that only the talented person who could talk to God was the absolute witch and wizard, who thereby obtained a higher position than other clan members, and usually became chieftain. The witch and wizard made use of their knowledge and experience to serve for their sorcery activities. These activities had some connections with music, dancing, medicine, mathematics, history, and cultural development. In conclusion, they educated people and helped the social education functions.2. Education in primitive societyThe process of education in this period was not yet completely independent, because the teaching contents and teaching methods were very simple. Education in primitive society existed to teach the processes of production and in the needs of the tribes'daily life. The educational purpose was for the sake of the whole clan's survival and daily life. That is to say that education served for both production and social activities. During the late primitive society, education was owned by the aristocrats and patricians. Along with the increase of knowledge and the appearance of a literate class, the school education sprouted.3. Witches and wizards were the earliest cultural disseminator and educator.The witch and wizard were the earliest knowledgeable intelligentsia. They were the premier men of power and social omniscience. They spread their knowledge and educated people through oral communication and body languages.Chapter 4 elaborates witchcraft and education in the Xia Dynasty and the Shang Dynasty.1. The witchcraft and education of the Xia Dynasty.Sorcery during the Xia Dynasty had a further development. Dayu was a well-known chief sorcerer at that time. Witchcraft was very popular. The witch and wizard took charge of these religious sorcery activities. There were formal schools which were called Xiang and Xu, but in fact, their essence is only the embryonic form of school.2. Witchcraft and education during the Shang Dynasty. In the Shang Dynasty, witchcraft was widely accepted. The witch and wizard developed toward the Sovereign. Their activities of the sorcery, divination and sacrifices had become the means of educating the people. Their positions were getting higher, until they reached the highest position. Their main goal and activities were to welcome gods, organizing the sacrifices and participating in political activities, explaining the portents, the signs, augury and soothsaying. The witch and wizard implemented witchcraft and were engaged in educational activities.The various scenes of sacrifices in Shang Dynasty actually provided the opportunities to the youth of observation and study. The preparations for the worship of ancestors and sacrificial ceremonies which were held in public were where the noble children were educated about manners and courtesy. The preparations for the music and dances began the process of music teaching. The emergence of the oracle-bone scriptures made Chinese character learning one of the most important aspects of education. Thus, the Six-Skill Education began.3. Fuxi draws the Eight Diagrams and begins the macroscopic educationFuxi was the earliest famous witch in China according to ancient Chinese literature. The Eight Diagrams show the following educational functions: Symbolic logic, Life,"Yin and Yang Doctrine", ethical relations and morals,"Harmony of Man and Nature" and the teaching of virtue.Chapter 5 ,Witchcraft and education in the Western-Zhou period.1. Witchcraft in the Western-Zhou periodAt the beginning of Western-Zhou period, the witch and wizard acted as historiographers, forming the special phenomenon in which the witches and wizards were the same as historiographers. Witch's and wizard's knowledge and skills extended to not only worship, soothsaying and divination, but also served for emperors to organize national sacrifices, military operations and political activities. As the power gradually concentrated into the emperors, the witch's and wizard's power gradually went down, and their positions were not as important as before. Unemployed witches and wizards appeared. But people's belief in the gods was still very strong.2. Education in the Western-Zhou period. The first school systems were set up during the Western-Zhou period, including national schools and county schools.The national schools were set up by Emperors and seigneur, or feudal lords, where their children could be educated. The national school had two kinds, which were called University and Primary school. County schools were local schools. They were set up by the kingdom, and established according to the administrative area. Finally the schooling age is discussed.The second, Education system was concerned with"Learning in the Feudal Palace."–--"Feudal affairs inosculated education".The creation of"Learning in the Feudal Palace"was primarily because of the lowness of the productivity level. The state-owned land system and patriarchal clan system had by then formed a life-time official and a life-time income system, which required certain skills. The main function was:"Feudal affairs inosculated education."The education bureau and administrative organization were in one unit. Officers and teachers belonged to one unit. The teachers were also officers."Learning in the Feudal Palace"completed the transition from primeval education to specialized school education.The third, Six-Skill education.Education in the Western-Zhou period became more formal. The public school called"Biyong"trained mainly"Six-Skill": courtesy, music, shooting, driving, writing and arithmetic. Witchcraft, religion and education inosculated in"Biyong"perfectly, which showed the integral function in culture and education.3. The witches and wizards spread the knowledge of astronomy and lunar calendric education. The knowledge of astronomy focused on the needs of agriculture. Agriculture had to accommodate the seasons. On the other hand, a good governor had to follow the people's ideas as well. The emperor needed to be civilized and virtuous to avoid disasters; and that would strengthen his political power. The governor could then make vassal states pay tributes on time. The knowledge of astronomy required a kind of pre-scientific education. The witches and wizards objectively promoted the development and popularization of astronomy. 4. The witches'and wizards'Welcome and Farewell songs combined music, literature, and art education.The witches'and wizards'Welcome and Farewell songs used music to organized and harmonize tribe members. The songs and music expressed emotions between members and helped them communicate with each other.The sacrifices with sorcery songs, dances and music gradually became a system of upper-class proprieties, and became a part of"courtesy."The witches'and wizards'Welcome and Farewell songs and music elevated man's abstract thinking and quick logical illation. Besides, they also helped people in continence, character and sentiment.5. The witches and wizards curative skills and medical education. The witch and wizard practiced auguring, invocation and sacrificed to gods. They also collected herbal medicines to cure disease. There were many prescription written on the oracle-bones. The witches and wizards in the Western-Zhou period were very popular both in the palace and countryside. In the Autumn & Spring period, they gradually disappeared. Afterwards, the professional doctor appeared, and The witches and wizards divided into doctors and shaman.Chapter 6 elaborates witchcraft and education in Eastern-Zhou period.1. The Witchcraft in the Eastern-Zhou period.People during the Eastern-Zhou period had already started putting forward some negative ideas concerning witchcraft. The Shaman withdrew from the posts with the most important political powers. Sometimes they were even animadverted before the public. But still, witchcraft had tremendous influence and a ready market. Some shaman described in the book of《Zuo's Documentary》that they were trusted by a monarch, patrician and the common people. In the funeral or at the fiesta, the Shaman were in charge of lustrating devils and banishing unlucky spirits. They kept their positions in society.2. Education in the Eastern-Zhou periodThe first, private schools appeared.When the power of the Emperor in Eastern-Zhou declined, palace academic education shifted to the counties. The stratum of Scholars developed. All of these factors caused the appearance of country private schools. One of the most famous and influential was the Confucius Private School. Following Confucius, various private schools run by other famous scholars appeared. At that time, scholars and their students were free to comment on politics. Private schools broke through the fetter of"Feudal affairs inosculated education,"completing the process of school independence.The second, the Ji-Xia AcademyIn the Warring States period, the Ji-Xia Academy was founded in the Kingdom of Qi, which was the area with the highest education. There, most of the famous scholars were free in lecturing, debating, teaching, writing and even discussing politics. It synthesized the good parts from both the Spring & Autumn period private schools and from Western-Zhou palace schools, and then continued to develop into the Imperial College in the Han Dynasty.The third, Witchcraft and various scholars'private schools.It is an analysis of the relationship between Confucianism, Daoism, Moism, Yin-yangism and Witchcraft. Confucianism inherited and innovated the culture of Witchcraft, changing Witchcraft's paradigm focus on the spiritual outer world to the virtuous inner character. Taoism and Witchcraft had three different changes and developments. They finally interacted effectively. Philosophies such as Moism and Yin-yangism all had relative and special relationships with Witchcraft.