中国思想古代智慧与现代科学 (8)

Learning (xue)

Acquiring the Ability to Think

Thinking

“Think Different”“Think Ancient”

Analects 17.10

“A man who has not mastered [the Odes] is like someone standing with his face to the wall”

•reform the way you think(si 思)•primary tools: classics

•Book of Odes (Songs)

•Book of Documents (History)

•reform the way you think (si思)

•primary tools: classics

•Book of Odes (Songs)

•Book of Documents (History)

•memorize, internalize the language and message of the classics

•gives one means of expression

•memorize, internalize the language and message of the classics

•gives one means of expression

classics for expression: 17.9

The Master said, “Little Ones, why do none of you learn the Odes? The Odes can be a source of inspiration and a basis for evaluation; they can help you to come together with others, as well as to properly express complaints. In the home, they teach you about how to serve your father, and in public life they teach you about how to serve your lord. They also broadly acquaint you with the names of a various birds, beasts, plants, and trees.”

Paragon modelling (fa法)•Duke of Zhou

•King Wen

•King Wu

•Confucius himself

Learning (xue學)•requires individual participation •can’t learn without thinking and

concentration (si思)

•but, learning takes priority

•accumulated wisdom of the past is to form

basis of your thinking

Analects 2.15

“If you learn without thinking about what you have learned, you will be lost…

"

…If you think without learning, however, you will fall into danger.”

Learning | Thinking •thinking outside the context of the classics like a million monkeys trying to reproduce Shakespeare

•might eventually produce

something, but better to start

with the classics

The Master said:

"

“I once engaged in thought for an entire day without eating and an entire night without sleeping, but it did no good…”

“…It would have been better for me to have spent that time in learning.”

Learning / Thinking •Confucius’ position on this a bit harder to accept than ritual / behaviour idea

•idea that thinking is autonomous very deeply ingrained in modern West

•basis premise of the Enlightenment was to free thought from tradition

“There is not novelty to me in the reflection that, from my earliest years, I have accepted many false opinions as true, and that what I have concluded from such badly assured premises could not but be highly doubtful and uncertain. From the time that I first recognized this fact, I have realized that if I wished to have any firm and constant knowledge in the sciences, I would have to undertake, once and for all, to set aside all the opinions which I had previously accepted among my beliefs and start again from the very beginning.”