A Comparison of the Thoughts of Huang Zongxi and John Locke about Education for Political Improvements

• In Event: Politics, Education and Citizenship

Proposal

How education can benefit social construction and promote political reforms has been a significant theme in the history for both Chinese and Western thinkers. Their thoughts are invaluable for contemporary educators and policymakers pursuing justice through political changes. The insights of John Locke and his Chinese contemporary, Huang Zongxi (黃宗羲, 1610-1695 AD), deserve particular attention due to their personal experiences, intellectual prestige, and considerable influence on Chinese and Western political philosophies, respectively. They both attached much importance to education and politics, developed educational theories to serve social needs, and suggested respective blueprints for the future of their countries. While their educational philosophies have long been studied in academia, few can articulate their commonalities and differences, let alone a combination of their merits. This study thus aimed to fill this gap by adopting a comparative perspective.
In light of the comparative method posited by George Bereday (1964), this study first presented and analyzed the main ideas and thoughts of John Locke and Huang Zongxi before making the comparison. With an analysis of the views expressed in the essays Some Thoughts Concerning Education and Two Treaties of Government, it suggested in the philosophy of John Locke how gentlemen can serve justice and how education can make contributions to political improvements. With respect to the thoughts of Huang Zongxi, this study focused on the essay of Schools, the sixth chapter of Waiting for the Dawn: A Plan for the Prince (明夷待訪錄). It reported Huang’s theory of how schools can advance political construction and correct public policies by engaging in political debates and protests. The study then compared their thoughts and suggested that the two thinkers designed distinctive routes by which education can contribute to the realization of democratic politics and social developments.
Based on the analysis and comparison of the educational thoughts of John Locks and Huang Zongxi, the author points out that the reforms of the political system and the functions of education are equally important in building a just, democratic society. When there are huge obstacles in political reforms, education can gather powers to advance the changes progressively. In this sense, while authoritarian states can learn much from John Locke’s theories, democratic societies can also learn from Huang’s thoughts, particularly his well-known proposition of “public debates on policies in schools” (公其是非於學校), to advance their democracy further.
Reference: 1.Bereday, G. Z. F. (1964). Comparative method in education. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winst

Authors

• Yiyang Zhong, The University of Hong Kong

• Lan Wang, 1.Beijing Normal University