Aristotle's Civic Education Thought And Its Contemporary Enlightenment Research

As socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era,civic moral education in the new era has been endowed with new connotations and circumstances.In order to meet the People's needs for a better life,the moral education of citizens in the new era must realize the relationship between morality and a better life,that is,happiness.On how to realize the connection and even unification of morality and happiness through the moral education of citizens in the new era,China has its own national conditions and characteristics,and we should inherit the Chinese tradition,but as General Secretary Xi said,we should also actively draw on the excellent ideological and cultural resources in the history of human thought.The Aristotle is one such excellent resource.The purpose of this paper is to provide useful and referential ideological resources for the civic moral education in the new era by systematizing and grasping the civic education thoughts of the Aristotle,in order to realize the theoretical consciousness and practical consciousness of the civic moral education in the new era and to promote the actual effect of the civic moral education in the new era.The paper is divided into three parts.Starting from the perspective of the relevant wisdom of Aristotle's civic education thought to the realistic situation facing the civic moral education in the new era,this paper criticizes and draws lessons from Aristotle's ideological resources about citizens,Virtue,justice,civic education,happiness,etc.,this paper defines the concept of the civic moral education in the new era,and analyzes the various predicaments faced by the civic moral education in the new era in the aspects of theory,system,practice,etc.,and from the citizen morals resources supply insufficient namely the theory resources,the system resources,the practice resources supply insufficient to find the reason and the solution.In these aspects,his civic education thought provides rich ideological resources.Thus,the thesis launches a systematic and critical excavation of the aim,content orientation,natural path,and generative path of Aristotle's civic education thought:His thoughts on civic education revolve around "what is a good life" and "how can one live a good life".He believed that all things had a good purpose.The purpose of man is to be happy.Virtue is the quality that makes the thing of which it is virtue in good condition and the activity of which is completed well.It is the latent function of the thing.The unique function of man lies in his reason.Therefore,man's aim lies in the excellent exertion and realization of the rational function of the soul,and in the virtuous realization of reason.Happiness,as the highest good,is the fulfillment of the perfect virtue in one's life.In this way,he put virtue and happiness together,happiness lies in the practice of virtue.The origin and purpose of the Polis is also happiness.Therefore,in the sense of purpose,the happiness of the city-state should be the same as that of the individual,while in the reality,the unity of individual happiness and the happiness of the city-state can be realized only in the ideal constitutional regime of "taking turns to govern".Civic Education is the best way to bridge personal happiness and city-state happiness,civic virtue cultivation and city-state good governance.The aim of civic education is to cultivate good citizens with good morals to live a happy life and to realize the unity of good people and good citizens.As a result,civic education is a process to support the gradual development and realization of civic virtue function and the gradual realization of citizens 'rational or free will.Since happiness lies in the realization of perfect virtue in one's life,the content of civic education should point to perfect virtue in terms of its direction.This paper discusses the essence,source and relationship of perfect virtue,and interprets the virtue of good people and good citizens from the perspective of civic education.Perfect Virtue includes ethics virtue,practical wisdom and theoretical wisdom.Moral character is the character of practical wisdom,therefore,moral character and practical wisdom are the two sides of moral,that is,moral character and moral conduct,and moral character is formed in the realization of activities that is moral conduct.Although the theoretical wisdom is the self-contained and perfect realization activity of the theoretical reason,and the best and most perfect realization activity of virtue,namely Meditation,the life of meditation completely divorced from the real life is a life that only God can live,he emphasized the practical and theoretical wisdom in the real life of the city-state rather than the life of meditation,because the real life and self-realization of people also need meditation or reflection.Therefore,the meaning of human's practical life lies in living a moral life,and in the realization of perfect virtue in human's life.Therefore,civic education points to perfect virtue and its realization.The cultivation of virtue in US is neither natural nor unnatural.The cultivation of virtue should go through the process of habituation training in civic education,and at the same time,follow the law of physical and mental development.In this sense,Aristotle's civic education is natural education.Following the natural process of education from the cultivation of talent to the formation of habit to the rational education,the paper explains the content and process of education in different stages of the ideal city-state,it clearly presents the comprehensive education of moral,intellectual,physical and aesthetic at different stages.The education of these contents,even if it has a practical effect,is also aimed at the cultivation of good morals and points to morality and its education.In this way,it is further clarified that the aim of civic education is to cultivate free and all-round people,and that civic education is the education with civic virtue as its direction and content.In this sense,his civic education is the modern civic moral education.The cultivation of civic virtue should be realized in the practice of city-state life.Because,a person's realization activity is how his quality is.The city-state needs to provide a humane environment for the free and all-round development of its citizens,that is,the city-state needs provide a hard environment for civic education with a just system and the rule of law,and a soft environment for civic education with a friendly citizen,so that citizens not only get rational guidance and restraint,but also get emotional infiltration and edification,so as to achieve the improvement of civic moral quality,the realization of human freedom and all-round development.In this sense,education is life,and life is education.Aristotle's civic education is life education.At the end of the paper,the author criticizes and draws lessons from his thought of Civic Education,and reveals that the moral education of the new era can be critically inspired: the value goal of the moral education of the new era lies in Desfaux's consistency;The essence of the civic moral education in the new era lies in liberal education;the civic moral education in the new era follows the principle of "imitating nature" and the Natural Law of citizens' physical and mental growth,according to General Secretary Xi Jinping's words "build virtue and cultivate people",the content of civic moral education in the new era is comprehensive education,including moral,intellectual,physical,cultural and labor,which points to the cultivation of civic virtue,the process of civic moral education in the new era is the whole process from talent cultivation to habit formation to rational guidance.The realization of civic moral education in the new era needs the concerted efforts of family,school and society The moral education of citizens in the new era is realized in the practice of citizens' moral life,the useful justice,fraternity,the good city-state ruled by law,the good government system and the good life.