我國教育思想的哲學基礎（二）

THE PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF CHINESE EDUCATIONAL THOUGHTS (con)

賈馥茗(Chia, Fu-ming)

《國立臺灣師範大學教育研究所集刊》 29輯 (1987/06) Pp. 1-26

https://doi.org/10.6910/BGIENTNU.198706_(29).0001

並列摘要

As ancient people lived in gatherings for the need of survival, it was necessary that there would be some orders and regulations for them to follow, and consequently someone who was capable and respectful was informally elected to be the ruler to manage people's affairs and to be people's model. This was the beginning of the selection of the political ruler. The Book of History (Shu-Ching) and the Book of Rites (Chou-Li) are histories of politics, especially the philosophy of politics, one aspect of the philosophical foundations of educational thoughts. In ancient China, the so called sages and also rulers entitled Ti which means his merits as high as the Heaven, were Yao and Shun. Both of them were men of highest virtue respected and worshiped by people for not only by their personal good conduct but also by their achievement. Most importantly they took the nation for the public; that is, the throne belonged to people among whom the one who was choosen to be the ruler would be capable and virtuous. Based upon this prior principle, when Yao became old, he abdicated the throne to Shun, and later Shun to Yu. It was historically admired the period of ＂the world belongs to the public,＂ or ＂a public spirit rules all under the sky.＂ A virtuous ruler should take his responsibility to rule the nation for people's benefits regardless or never thinking about personal power or interests. In the period of Yao, it was said that there were floods over the land, and channelization was the urgent policy. Thus Yao's record was very little. After Shun succeeded the throne, his first policy was enriching life of people. For a nation agriculturally based, the most important thing to do would be the increase of agricultural products. Shun therefore appointed an official in charge of it. Then he appointed another official in charge of education. Tasks of the educational official were twofold: vocational education in connection with agriculture and moral education to cultivate people's characters for getting along with others by starting from close relatives. There was another official appointed in charge of ceremony and education for aristocratic youth, which was the beginning of national university. Shun appointed other main officials in charge of public affairs followed by the examination of their services. The philosophy of a ruler in the period of Yao and Shun was in accordance with the view of the Heaven: that the great achievement of the Heaven was the creation of the universe and beings in it; that the ruler whose achievement would be as great as the .Heaven for the creation of a rich and harmonious life and environment for living therefore, the ruler was also as virtuous as the Heaven. Besides, the Heaven created the universe for nothing for himself, so would be the ruler. It was viewed that as a ruler, only his responsibility was count, regardless his personal interests such as power or enjoyment. This was the most admired. philosophy of politics in Chinese history. The throne became inheritance after Yu; then, the original spirit or virtue, the abdication of the throne to the capable and virtuous person, was lost. How-ever, good rulers of the successive periods were still following the principles of good policies. In the beginning of the Chou dynasty, Major principles of politics were formally established, among which the Nine Categories, of Great Political Principles were written down, and a well developed administrative system, titles and responsibilities of officials from the central to local was established. Till then a central idea of ruling the nation was that the ruler must be benevelent, just and rightous.