[00:00.00]M: More than two thousand years separated two of the world’s great educational philosophers, Confucius and Dewey. [00:08.47]Yet, despite their, uh, separation in time and space, both of these thinkers held some interesting—and amazingly parallel—ideas about teaching and learning. [00:21.32]Confucius lived during the sixth century B.C., during China’s Classical Age, and is generally held to be China’s greatest and most influential philosopher. [00:31.79]Confucius was, and still is, considered both reactionary and revolutionary. [00:38.83]He’s reactionary because his perspective looked to the past, to the wisdom of the ancients. [00:45.11]Confucius felt that his role as a teacher was to carry on the ancient tradition, rather than to create something new. [00:52.73]He said, “I transmit, but do not create; I have faith in and love for ancient studies.” [01:01.81] During his lifetime, Confucius studied and commented on several texts of the ancient tradition, including the books known as the Six Classics. [01:11.78]Yes, Tracy?
[01:12.80]W: If Confucius just studied the ancient books, why was he considered a philosopher? [01:18.55]I mean, he didn’t create anything new. [01:21.31]He just talked about other people’s work.
[01:23.94]M: The way he looked to the past, his focus on the classical texts—that’s the reactionary side of Confucianism.
[01:32.45]W: OK, but if he didn’t create anything new, how does this make him a revolutionary?
[01:40.21]M: Confucius was a revolutionary because lie believed that there should be no distinction of social class in education. [01:47.78]He believed that education should be, um, not just for the privileged class, but for any boy or girl who was able and willing to learn. [01:59.56]Confucius stressed education for practical use because he believed the goal of education is to improve all of humanity. [02:07.91]This aspect of Confucianism shares a core belief with the Western philosophy of pragmatism. [02:15.07]According to pragmatism, the value of knowledge is a function of its practical outcome, that is, its usefulness to both the individual and the society. [02:25.75]In the early twentieth century, pragmatism was highly influential in several fields—like government, business, but especially education. [02:36.02]One of its leading thinkers was the American philosopher John Dewey. [02:41.20]Like Confucius, Dewey was a scholar and educator whose ideas have had a tremendous impact, both in his time and beyond. [02:50.77]Like Confucius, Dewey has a place among our greatest thinkers. [02:55.34]As was the case with Confucius, some of Dewey’s ideas were considered revolutionary. [03:01.94]Dewey’s ideas about individuality and social progress were radical in the early twentieth century. [03:09.17]Dewey believed that the cultivation of the individual would benefit society as a whole, and therefore, the education of individual students is good for social progress. [03:20.75]This is similar to the Confucian idea that if a man is true to his inner self, he will achieve true greatness, and that the greatness of individuals is necessary for social order. [03:32.84]Despite the centuries that separated them, Confucius and Dewey held some similar ideas about knowledge, teaching, and learning. [03:41.86]Confucius believed that the processes of teaching and learning stimulate each other.[03:47.06]Teaching is half of learning, and the ideal teacher is one who goes over what he’s already learned and gains some new understanding from the experience. [03:56.66]Compare this to Dewey’s idea that education is a continuously constructive process, with experience and knowledge building on each other.
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