Research On Tao Xingzhi’s Thought Of “Life As Education” And Its Contemporary Value

Ideological and political education is mostly based on theoretical education in schools.Carrying out ideological and political education for students based on theory plays an irreplaceable role in guiding students to recognize and identify with certain values from rational logic.However,we must also see that the ideological and political education carried out in the form of theory also has some disadvantages,that is,the risk of theory divorced from reality,which leads to the reduction of the effectiveness of ideological and political education.According to Xi Jinping,ideological and political education should be taught not only in the classroom,but also in the social classroom.This essentially implies the necessity of developing ideological and political education based on real life.This has important guiding significance for solving the dilemma of separating ideological and political education from life.Tao Xingzhi,a famous educator in China,has an important view in his educational thought,that is,"life as education".From this point of view,there are many ideas for reference to explore how to overcome the disconnection between theory and practice in ideological and political education.Facing the dilemma that traditional education is divorced from life,Tao Xingzhi put forward the thought of "life as education" : "the fundamental significance of education is the change of life.Life changes every moment,that is,life contains the significance of education all the time.Therefore,we can say:’life as education.’" Based on Tao Xingzhi’s discussion on this fundamental feature of education,reflecting on the situation that contemporary ideological and political education is divorced from life,deeply excavating the theoretical connotation of the view of "life as education",and clarifying the basic principle of "life as education" based on Marx’s historical materialism,it has important theoretical and practical value for improving the disadvantages of separating contemporary ideological and political education from reality.Reflecting on the dilemma of contemporary ideological and political education out of life,there are many manifestations,such as educational purpose,educational content,educational methods and so on.For example,emphasis on "ideality" but lack of "reality",emphasis on "knowledge" but lack of "practice",emphasis on "instrumentality " but lack of "value",and so on.In order to solve the above difficulties,we need to rethink Tao Xingzhi’s basic concept of "life as education" and absorb the reasonable educational principles,so as to open more space for ideological and political education.Tao Xingzhi believes that in terms of the relationship between life and education,life plays a decisive role in education,which in turn plays a transformative role in life.Therefore,in his view,life and education are inseparable.Both "education" without life and "life" without education will be incomplete.On the one hand,life determines education.The needs of real life determine the content of education,and the order of life and living conditions determine the goals and principles of education.On the other hand,life is divided into progress and backwardness.Education must play a countereffect on life,transforming "backward life" with "forward life".In addition,Tao Xingzhi further sublimated the viewpoint of "life as education" into the thesis of "society as school".This thesis has deep consistency with the "social classroom" of Xi Jinping.The implicit educational space of "society as school" also embodies the basic spirit of "life as education".Tao Xingzhi’s thought of "life as education" insists on establishing the whole education system from the perspective of "real people" and their activities-practice,which also fully reflects the Marxist philosophical principles contained in the thought of "life as education".Marx once clearly put forward in the Theses on Feuerbach that "social life is practical in essence.Anything that leads theory to a mysterious place can be reasonably solved in people’s practical activities and understanding of practice".Tao Xingzhi’s educational thought of "life as education" is deeply consistent with Marx’s historical materialism.Therefore,based on the fundamental position of historical materialism,we can absorb and learn from Tao Xingzhi’s principle of "life as education",which provides important theoretical resources and theoretical support for the contemporary development of "social classroom" and "great ideological and political" education.In order to get rid of the dilemma of breaking away from life,contemporary ideological and political education should aim at life and educate for life;Use life as a means and use life to educate;Take life as the environment and educate in life.