The Agreement in Natural Education Philosophy between Chuang-Tzu and Rousseau.docVIP

The Agreement in Natural Education Philosophy between Chuang-Tzu and Rousseau Zhuang Zhou, more commonly known as Chuang-Tzu, was an influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the fourth century BC during the Warring States period. As a Daoist philosopher, he proposed the education system of “Wu Wei”. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the most outstanding thinkers during the Enlightenment in eighteenth century France. In the educational field, he advanced the idea of “negative education”, which is a form of “child-centered” education. Although living in quite different ages, the two great men are in agreement in terms of Natural Education philosophy. When it comes to the goal of education, Chuang-Tzu and Rousseau are insistent on cultivating people’s natural tendencies and natural men. The uppermost ideal character that Chuang-Tzu pursues is to be a sage. He says that “the sagely man does not occupy himself with worldly affairs. He does not put himself in the way of what is profitable, nor try to avoid what is hurtful; he has no pleasure in seeking [for anything from any one]; he does not care to be found in [any established] way; he speaks without speaking; he does not speak when he speaks; thus finding his enjoyment outside the dust and dirt [of the world]” (Fang et al. 45). People should be free from vulgarity as well as follow nature, meaning there is no need for human beings to suppress desire or struggle hard to satisfy oneself. Rousseau strongly opposes feudal education training innocent and lovely children to be dignitaries as well as professionals attached to influential powers and loyal to the feudal regime. He emphasizes that we should develop ourselves according to our natural instincts (Shan 141-150). His natural man possesses a few qualities that allow him to distinguish himself from the animals over a long period of time. Both Chuang-Tzu and Rousseau hold that natural character is cardinal and people should be cultivated to natural men, who are