A Study Of Confucian Cultivation And Its Effectiveness

To implement a certain form of ideological and political education is a common principle and necessary means in the process of a civilized society. Even though the purpose, objective and function of ideological and political education can vary in different societies and different historical periods, they belong, in essence, to the realm of ideology, and are representations of the thoughts and wills of the ruling class.Ideological and political education was regarded as a process of "cultivation" in ancient China, intending mainly to spread the ideas and concepts of Confucianism. This dissertation studies the process of Confucian cultivation and explores its formation, development, contents and application in Western Han Dynasty. Based on these findings, this dissertation will then analyze the reasons for the success of Confucian cultivation, hoping that this study may render some help to the examination and solution of current ideological and political education problems.The central concern in the process of the cultivation of Confucianism can be found in its focus on moral, decorum and music education, believing that morality is the thing that can be used to govern the country, and that morality is the basis of a nation and the underlying guideline for decorum and justice. Moral education dwells on the cultivation of core values like benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, faithfulness, filial piety, kindness, respectfulness and humbleness. The essence of decorum education is to maintain the hierarchical order of the society, and the purpose of music education is to maintain the harmony of the society. This dissertation explores the representative Confucian masters’theoretical contribution to the process of Confucian cultivation from Qin to Han Dynasty. It analyses systematically the construction of Confucian cultivation theories from Confucius’establishment of the belief through Mencius’further enrichment and development of the theory and Hsun Tzu’s perfection and systemization of the theory. It also examines the prevailing application of Confucianism in unifying the country in Qin and Han Dynasty, revealing the process in which "the hundred schools of thoughts were abolished, and Confucianism became the only belief that was practiced." Under the rule of Wu Emperor in Han Dynasty, the ruling class followed the version of Confucianism as proposed by Dong Zhongshu and took a series of actions, such as the establishment of its political and educational systems and its emphasis on family and social education, etc., enabling Confucianism to rise from a scholars’theory to an administrators’ theory, and become the only theory that was honored as the ruling theory of the Feudalist class and the mainstream belief of the Feudalist society.In the two thousand years after Qin and Han Dynasty, although China had witnessed a series of changes, Confucianism remained the predominating belief in the realm of ideology, affecting the trend of the country and the society and shaping people’s view of life and their sense of value. There are three reasons for Confucianism’s being the predominating ideology in Feudalist societies in China and for the success of its civilizing the people. First, in compare with other schools of thoughts, Confucianism has evident theoretical advantages. It is more systematic, more inclusive and more adaptable to its historical background. Second, the central value of Confucianism is more identical with ancient China’s belief in the unity between the country and the family and the unification of the society. Third, the way Confucianism civilize citizens is more "scientific" and more reasonable. Its teaching is more consistent with common people’s way of reasoning and behavior, and it can cater to common people’s psychological need and sense of aesthetic taste. As a result, it can successfully guarantee the implementation of the cultivation of Confucianism and achieve the expected effect of this process of cultivation.The ideological and political education today is fundamentally different from its counterpart back in the history of China. They are from different forms of society and possess different objectives. As a result, we should apply a Marxist perspective, a scientific approach, in our dialectical examination and exploration of Confucian cultivation, and avoid absolutism in completely accepting or completely rejecting the practice of Confucian cultivation. Although ideological and political education today and Confucian cultivation in the,past are different in their nature, they, regardless of the limitation of classes, share a lot in their operating mechanism, their process, their approaches and their practice. By examining the cultivation of Confucianism and its effectiveness in a scientific approach and to borrow critically the merits of Confucian cultivation’s contents and methods, we can enrich and develop modern China’s theories and practice in its ideological and political education. This is then the value and practical implication of the study of ancient Confucian cultivation.