The Modernity Studies Of Cai Yuanpei’s Moral Education Ideas

The keen concern on the pursuit of individualism by the Chinese people during the May4thear in Chinese history indicates an inevitable trend of social development. Accordingly,advanced intellectuals at the time were also struggling to explore new ideas to help the nationcounter against the crisis. For example, Mr. Liang Qichao said,“People began to realize that ‘itis definitely impossible to apply the new systems with the old ideas and values and a completeconsciousness of personality is needed’. And we should try to cultivate the new generation with a‘complete consciousness of personality’ by all means, especially by education.” Meanwhile,advanced intellectuals including Cai Yuanpei, Chen Duxiu and Hu Shi were endeavoring on thecultivation of “New Citizen” with “Healthy Personality” and on the transformation of citizensfrom “Traditional Citizen” to “Modern Citizen”.Modernization brings about distinctive modern qualities to both social order andpsychological order of individuals and the spiritual qualities that adapt modernized life is called“Modernity”. Any development of the Chinese society in modern times is the specific content ofmodernized transformation and modernity cultivation, and must be observed in modernizedcontext and modernity perspective. Therefore, Cai Yuanpei’s ideas on moral education can beregarded as a significant beginning of modernity transformation in moral ideas in China.Currently, the rising concern on the issues concerning the modernity of humans and the practicalrequirement in moral discipline construction and moral education practice constitute an urgentdemand for putting Cai Yuanpei’s ideas into a modernity context so as to explore the modernityconnotations conceived in the ideas.Generated in the time when China was confronted with the severest crisis in modern times,Cai Yuanpei’s moral education ideas are also a product of the integration of western culture andeastern culture. The formation of Cai Yuanpei’s ideas on moral education include three keystages, namely the Beginning Stage when the modernity of his moral education ideas began totake seeds, the Germination Stage when the modernity of his moral education ideas were finallyformed and the Maturing Stage for the implementation of the modernity of his moral education ideas.Cai Yuanpei’s ideas on moral education are an inheritance of traditional Chinese educationideas, e.g. the key significance on moral education, the focus on family education, integration ofmodernity connotations into traditional rule of ethics, illustration of “Liberty, Equality andFraternity” with traditional Chinese words, inheritance of traditional moral education meansincluding seeking knowledge, practice and cultivating, etc.On the other hand, there are also innovations in the core values of Cai Yuanpei’s moraleducation ideas, which are also a clear display of modernity spirit and demands of the time. Themodernity connotations of Cai Yuanpei’s moral education ideas are generally reflected in fiveaspects. Firstly,“Liberty, Equality and Fraternity” are regarded as the “Key of Ethics” or theguidelines of moral education so as to achieve effective enlightenment for citizens. Secondly, thespirit of independence in personality, education and academy is emphasized and strictlyimplemented and the transformation from the traditional personality featuring dependence tomodernized liberty. Thirdly, the functions of moral education are given modernized illustrationsin Cai Yuanpei’s moral education ideas, which hold that moral education are powerful in that itis a tool to establish sound social morality, a guarantee for the realization of military power and awealthy country, an essential way to promote healthy development of citizens both mentally andphysically and core factors regulating the development trend of education. Fourthly, modernitymoral education goals are promulgated in Cai Yuanpei’s moral education ideas, which hold thatmoral education should be the backbone of all kinds of education in the cultivation of soundpersonality and the goals of moral education are to cultivate the people who admire ethics, the“good citizens of the country”, the good habits and nature of citizens and the individual pursuitwith enough respect for the nature. Meanwhile, basic goals and final goals are also classified inCai Yuanpei’s ideas on moral education according to positive ethics and negative ethics. Fifthly,the modernity principles for the implementation of moral education are also put forward in CaiYuanpei’s moral education ideas, e.g. promoting moral education by other means of education,multi-level education, specific education method for specific targets, developing strategies foreducation.etc.Besides the modernity on values and content, the modernity of Cai Yuanpei’s moraleducation ideas has brought about greater revolution on the education in China through practice.In addition to the implementation of the spirit of liberty, the practice of his ideas on moraleducation has also generated a variety of innovations, e.g. education equality ideas fromeducation for few people to education for the public, the transformation of schooling ideas fromstiff and closed schooling to the modernized idea of “Freedom of Thoughts and Coexistence of Difference”, etc.With modernity connotations and powerful benefits in practice, Cai Yuanpei’s moraleducation ideas follow the trend of the times and are of great historical significance in that theideas direct the new education in China, provide basis for the rationality of values for theestablishment of modernity education system in China and give theoretical support and spiritualmomentum for enlightenment. More importantly, Cai Yuanpei’s moral education ideas are stillproviding important and infinite guidelines and inspirations for the moral education of citizens inChina in many aspects, e.g. the recognition of the relationship among modern moral education,cultivation of ethics and cultivation of humanism, the distinguishing of inheriting and developingin the course of moral education, respecting the student as the principal role in education,pushing forward the sound development of citizens, etc.