East-West Perspective on the Ethos of Confucius, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, and John Dewey’s Educational Thought

• In Event: A Curriculum of Great Learning: An East-West Dialogue

Abstract

The third presenter has been exploring the Eastern, Western, and exile philosophy with a particular focus on Confucius, Dewey, Saïd, and has recently been diving into the works of Makiguchi and Ikeda via Goulah’s (e.g., 2010) influence in relation to bilingual/bicultural/biracial education, multilingual/multicultural/multiracial education, curriculum studies, and transnational/diasporic studies. The presenter will bring into the dialogue her explorations on concept of great learning illuminated in the five themes in the works of Confucius, Makiguchi, and Dewey. The major works of and about Confucius include: Analects, The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean (Ames & Rosemont, 1998; Legge, 1971); Humanity and Self-Cultivation (Tu, 1979); Way, Learning and Politics: Essays on the Confucian Intellectual (Tu, 1989); The Global Significance of Concrete Humanity: Essays on the Confucian Discourse in Cultural China (Tu, 2010); and New Horizons in Eastern Humanism: Buddhism, Confucianism, and the Quest for Global Peace (Tu & Ikeda, 2011). The works of and about Makiguchi include: Education for Creative Living: Ideas and Proposals of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (Bethel, 1989); A Geography of Human Life (Bethel, 2002); Soka Education: A Buddhist Vision for Teachers, Students and Parents (Ikeda, 2001); A New Humanism (Ikeda, 2010a); Soka Education: For the Happiness of the Individual (Ikeda, 2010b); Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944): Educational Philosophy in Context [special issue of Educational Studies, 45(2)] (Goulah & Gebert, 2009]. The works of Dewey include: The School and Society: The Child and the Curriculum (1902/1990); Theory of the Moral Life (1908/1996); Moral Principles in Education (1909/1975); Democracy and Education (1916); Letters from China and Japan (J. Dewey, A. Dewey, & E. Dewey, 1920); Human Nature and Conduct (1922); Experience and Nature (1929); The Way Out of Educational Confusion (1931); Art as Experience (1934a); A Common Faith (1934b); Liberalism and Social Action (1935); Experience and Education (1938); and Freedom and Culture (1939).

The presenter will particularly focus on one major line of thinking running through the works of Confucius, Makiguchi, and Dewey--a concept of great learning-- which aims to educate for creative, harmonious, associated, joyful, and worthwhile living. Makiguchi, Confucius, and Dewey envisioned and strived for this goal in three different languages, cultures, and civilizations within different historical epochs. Drawing upon Confucius’ ideas of complex and contradictory diversity in harmonious unity, Makiguchi’s ideas of value creating pedagogy~cooperative living, and Dewey’s “Democratic Ideal”~ associated living, a conjoint communicated experience, the primary purpose of education is to promote great learning--“to cultivate humanity, integrity, beauty, justice, and equity” (Schubert, 2009a) by fostering the interconnection among humanity, nature, and cosmos through self cultivation, value creation, associated living, and joy of learning/happiness of living. A Confucian, Makiguchian, and Deweyan society which encourages self-cultivation as a prelude for human flourishing is a society that cherishes virtue-based governance and regulation, a communal way of self cultivation, family as a gathering place for learning to be human, a commune as a place to invigorate human interaction and sharing, and education as a place to cultivate full human potential and imagine hopes, dreams, and possibilities for all (Greene, 1995).

Author

• Ming Fang He, Georgia Southern University