Study Of Locke’s Liberal Education

Different from the previous thinkers that discussed politics and education at the same time, Locke not only discusses politics and education separately, but also not quotes the both each other. However, Locke thinks that politics contains both political society and the art of governing people. This raises the question:what the connection of the both and what kind of person Locke needs?All Locke’s life is in a big revolution era. He takes an active part in political activity and deeply understands social and political unrest. The background of two books written by Locke is "uneasy", he is eager to peaceful political order. Liberal education is on the basis of theory of tabula rasa. It is "uneasy" caused by tabula rasa that leads to all kinds of desires. By criticizing the innate ideas and Robert Filmer’s patriarchal fatherhood, Locke separates family from political society, paternal power from political power. Meanwhile, natural freedom of human and dominant position of family in education are protected in the separation above. The separation above turns into the basis of the purpose of liberal education, cultivating freemen. Freedom not only lets themselves get freedom, but also suppresses the desire of controlling instinctively. Locke’s political thought emphasizes on self-preservation, natural freedom and civil rights, educational thought on offspring-preservation, parental authority, virtue and the reconciliation between citizens and gentlemen. But the both is not isolating from each other, that is in order to better cultivate freemen. Because of self-preservation and offspring-preservation, political society and family are set up. However, father and son feeling makes the political society and family no longer cold. Parents’ authority is temporary, which is to let children better enjoy and use freedom. Only the liberal education protected by political rights cannot lead to mandatory. Once pass the assignments of cultivating virtue to political society, lowest aim (protect life, liberty and property) is difficult to reach. Liberal education not only reconciles political society, but also adapt to and safeguard his political society. For cultivating freemen, Locke builds their bodies and indoctrinates industry and "four virtues" by means of custom, liberty(as a tool),examples, interests and physical punishment, that is both sound mind and body emerge.Locke exactly takes advantage of human desire to feel free and resorts to liberal education to satisfy that desire, so that to strengthen and indoctrinate the belief in liberty itself. The continuous wars and political unrest make Locke believe that a person’s unexamined belief in liberty brings a more enduring peace than that in God, which moves us to ponder what is the real education.