The Future of Education

Tu Wei-Ming is a master of the third generation of modern neo-Confucianism and is recognized as a “preacher of Confucian culture” and “the hardest worker promoting neo-Confucianism abroad.” Starting with the study of Yang-Ming’s poetry in his youth, he was inspired by second-generation neo-Confucianism representatives like Hsu Fu-Guang, Tang Jun-Yi, and Mo Zong-San to gradually comprehend Yang-Ming’s Philosophy of the Mind. In 1968, he received adoctoral degree of philosophy from Harvard University with “Wang, Yang-Ming’s Youth.” Then, he delivered lectures at such renowned institutions as Princeton University and Berkeley University. He has served as a Harvard University professor since 1981 and has become an academician of US literature, art, and science to elaborate and preach Confucianism as his life aspiration. He significantly engages in the essence of Yang-Ming's philosophy of mind and thoroughly applies Yang-Ming’s educational perspective in his teaching, lectures, and writing. Meanwhile, the ideas and measures of promoting “social consciousness,” “consciousness of a scholar,” “comprehension,” “seminar,” “smart reading,” “moral cultivation and teach by own example,” “liberal education,” stressing the ethical value of Confucianism and advocating for “the spirit of an evangelist” have all allowed him to yield particularly brilliant results in modern higher education. 

Keywords: Tu Wei-Ming, Yang-Ming’s Philosophy of the Mind, Educational Perspective, Third Generation of Modern Neo-Confucianism

References:

1. Tu Wei-Ming, Zhu Zhi-Fang translated, Wang, Yang-Ming’s Youth(Beijing Joint Publishing, 2017)

2. Tu Wei-Ming, Kong Xiang-Lai and Chen Pei-Yu edited, Tu Wei-Ming’s thinking and academic article selected(Shanghai, Shanghai GUJI publishing, 2014)

3. Tu Wei-Ming, human nature and self-cultivation(Taipei, Linking Publishing Company. 1992)