a book review of some thoughts concerning education——洛克《教育漫话》读书笔记.docx

题目 A Book Review ofSome Thoughts Concerning EducationA Book Review ofSome Thoughts Concerning EducationAbstracts: This is a short book review of John Lockes famous work expressing his educational thoughts Some Thoughts Concerning Education. The review contains three main parts: Firstly, it gives a short background introduction of the author and the work, then it reviews the main idea of this book, divided into three parts: the development of a healthy body; the formation of a virtuous character; and the choice of an appropriate academic curriculum. It analyses their main character and influence one by one. Finally, it gives some scholars thoughts and comments on this book and Lockes ideas, then the authors own comments about those views, at the same time an analysis of the limitation of Locke ideas. I. BackgroundSome Thoughts Concerning Education is one of the fruits of John Locke (1632-1704), who was considered as one of the most important philosophers in England because of his groundbreaking thoughts about democracy and empiricism and his great and everlasting influence on not only the politics of England, but also that of so many other countries. Though Some Thoughts Concerning Education is generally thought that has nothing to do with democracy or empiricism, it does not prevent this work become a total masterpiece and always spoken highly of. For over a century, it was the most important philosophical work on education in England. It was translated into almost all of the major written European languages during the eighteenth century, and nearly every European writer on education after Locke, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau, acknowledged its influence.Some Thoughts Concerning Education is written in the form of letters to a Somersetshire friend named Edward Clarke, at the same time as he was completing and preparing for publication his another important book ,the Essay concerning Human Understanding. In this book, John Locke wrote about education, not from the standpoint of a totally systematic theory, but from what he thought, on the basis of his own experience of life, very easy to understood and can be made to work. Some scholar argues that “even derived from his moral and political views, derived from his theory of knowledge, his philosophy of education continues to exert a powerful influence, especially in the United States.” Reviewed Works: Some Thoughts concerning Education by John Locke, F. W. Garforth; John Locke on Education by Peter Gay, John Locke, Review by: John Roach British , Journal of Educational Studies, Vol. 13, No. 2 (May, 1965), p. 169 II. Review of the BookIn his Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690), Locke outlined a new theory of mind, contending that the gentlemans mind was a blank slate; that is, it did not contain any innate ideas. As a result, Locke argued that I think I may say that of all the men we meet with, nine parts of ten are what they are, good or evil, useful or not, by their education. Modern History Sourcebook: John Locke (1632-1704): Some Thoughts Concerning Education, 1692, section 1. Which shows his attaching great importance on education.In Some Thoughts Concerning Education he tried to explain how to educate that mind using three distinct methods: the development of a healthy body; the formation of a virtuous character; and the choice of an appropriate academic curriculum.The development of a healthy bodyAs I say, the most important thought in Some Thoughts Concerning Education has been told by Locke at the beginning of the book, that is “A sound mind in a sound body, is a short, but full description of a happy state in this world.” John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 1. To accomplish this target, John Locke put the development of a healthy body the first place in his education thoughts. In this book, Locke never got bored to give so many usual and ordinary suggestions to teach a child to form a good and health habits, that you cant believe these ordinary items were given by a serious philosopher. There are so many items can be divided into this part, such as “Children should be not too warmly clad or covered, winter or summer” he argues, because bodies will endure anything that from the beginning they are accustomed to. John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 11.Furthermore, to prevent a child from catching chills and colds, Locke suggests that his feet to be washed every day in cold water, and to have his shoes so thin that they might leak and let in water whenever he comes near it. John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 12.To make children have fresh air to breathe ,he suggests that “Another thing that is of great advantage to every ones health, but especially childrens, is to be much in the open air , and as little as may be by the fire, even in winter. By this he will accustom himself also to heat and cold, shine and rain.” John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 9.To help children to have a balanced diet, he suggests that “Fruit makes one of the most difficult chapters in the government of health, especially that of children.” John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 20. As far as I am concerned, this kind of education methods can make children experience and go through the test of the natural environment in an early age so they would get stronger bodies to prevent them from some unexpected strike of nature or the outside environment, which I think is really a Method worthy of learning by parents in modern society, where they always tend to spoil their children or protect them too much. There are so many advises of this aspect, which suggest that Locke attaches really much importance on building childrens bodies. Because the basis of his main idea of education is a totally developed body. He argued that “How necessary health is to our business and happiness; and how requisite a strong constitution, able to endure hardships and fatigue, is to one that will make any figure in the world, is too obvious to need any proof.” John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 3.The formation of a virtuous characterBy using Lockes methods of building kids healthy habits, children can get their bodies healthily developed, but what then? According to Lockes theory of blank slate in childrens mind, the next thing is to instill virtue in children. He defines virtue as a combination of self-denial and rationality, he wrote down like this “As the strength of the body lies chiefly in being able to endure hardships, so also does that of the mind. And the great principle and foundation of all virtue and worth is placd in this: that a man is able to deny himself his own desires, cross his own inclinations, and purely follow what reason directs as best, tho the appetite lean the other way.” John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 33. In this section, he emphasis the right time very much, that is to say, he thought it was very important for parents to seize the right time to educate their children about their virtues. He said “The great mistake I have observd in peoples breeding their children, has been, that this has not been taken care enough of in its due season: that the mind has not been made obedient to discipline, and pliant to reason, when at first it was most tender, most easy to be bowd.”John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 34.And when parents get the point to seize the right time, what methods should they take to teach their kids to get virtues, which he described as “a man is able to deny himself his own desires, cross his own inclinations, and purely follow what reason directs as best”? He suggested children should be taught to submit their desires and this education should began in a very early time, parents should, above all, attempt to create a habit of thinking rationally in their children. “The first thing they should learn to know, should be, that they were not to have anything because it pleasd them, but because it was thought fit for them. If things suitable to their wants were supplyd to them, so that they were never sufferd to have what they once cryd for, they would learn to be content without it, would never, with bawling and peevishness, contend for mastery, nor be half so uneasy to themselves and others as they are, because from the first beginning they are not thus handled. If they were never sufferd to obtain their desire by the impatience they expressd for it, they would no more cry for another thing, than they do for the moon.”John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 38. But in the specific steps to shape childrens reason, Locke tend to be opposed to press children too tightly or put some punishment on children, he argued “I have spoken so much of carrying a strict hand over children, that perhaps I shall be suspected of not considering enough, what is due to their tender age and constitutions. But that opinion will vanish, when you have heard me a little farther: for I am very apt to think, that great severity of punishment does but very little good, nay, great harm in education; and I believe it will be found that, caeteris paribus, those children who have been most chastisd, seldom make the best men.” John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 34.The choice of an appropriate academic curriculumIn fact, in this book, Locke does not dedicate much space to outlining a specific curriculum; he is more concerned with convincing his readers that education is about instilling virtue and what Western educators would now call critical-thinking skills. Locke maintains that parents or teachers must first teach children how to learn and to enjoy learning. As he writes, the instructor should remember, that his business is not so much to teach him all that is knowable, as to raise in him a love and esteem of knowledge; and to put him in the right way of knowing and improving himself when he has a mind to it. John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 195. Compared to so few advise about how to obtain academic knowledge, Locke appeared to be more concerned with the obtaining of other kinds of knowledge, such as dancing, music, fencing and riding, for example, he said “Dancing being that which gives graceful motions all the life, and above all things manliness, and a becoming confidence to young children, I think it cannot be learned too early, after they are once of an age and strength capable of it.” John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 196.“Musick is thought to have some affinity with dancing, and a good hand upon some instruments is by many people mightily valued. But it wastes so much of a young mans time to gain but a moderate skill in it;” John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 197. and so on.III. Some Views and Analysis of the BookAbout this book, when it was firstly published, it was not so popular as it was today, a study shows that after Locke death, in the early 18th century, there were only some writers like John Evelyn, John Aubrey, John Eachard, and John Milton had previously advocated similar reforms in curriculum and teaching methods, but they had not succeeded in reaching a wide audience. Ezell, Margaret J.M. John Lockes Images of Childhood: Early Eighteenth-Century Responses toSome Thoughts Concerning Education.Eighteenth-Century Studies17.2 (198384), 141. But in the next century, more and more scholars noticed this work, and some essays came into being. More and more people came to realize that this book was such a revolutionary work in education, as Nathan Tarcov, who has written an entire volume on Some Thoughts, has pointed out, Locke frequently explicitly opposes his recommendations to the usual, common, ordinary, or general education. Tarcov, Nathan. Lockes Education for Liberty. Chicago: University of Chicago Press (1984), 80. As far as I am concerned, nearly most of Lockes thoughts about education are very valuable to modern parents and educators, but there do exist some other views that I cant agree with.In this text, Locke thinks the emphasis on the academic education is to teach children how to read and write well in their mother language, he thought that was the most important thing, he said: “To write and speak correctly gives a grace and gains a favorable attention to what one has tosay: and since tis English that an English gentleman will have constant use of, that is the language he should chiefly cultivate, and wherein most care should be taken to polish and perfect his style.” John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 189. and besides this, he also recommended the laws and logic and some other lessons nowadays we often call as social science, for example, he said: “At the same time that he is learning French and Latin, a child, as has been said, may also be enterd in Arithmetick, Geography, Chronology, History and Geometry too. For if these be taught him in French or Latin, when he begins once to understand either of these tongues, he will get a knowledge in these sciences, and the language to boot.” John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 178. these are very good, but what makes me feel interesting is his attitude towards the Natural Science, he said: “Natural philosophy, as a speculative science, I imagine we have none, and perhaps I may think I have reason to say we never shall be able to make a science of it. The works of nature are contrived by a wisdom, and operate by ways too far surpassing our faculties to discover or capacities to conceive, for us ever to be able to reduce them into a science.” John Locke: Some Thoughts, section 190.I think the his ignorance of natural philosophy lies in the target of his education, that is to foster a gentleman who can communicate with foreigners well and know their culture and the geographical features so they can make business with them, to make money for the empire. In this situation, science of physics and chemistry can be of little use, so they are ignored by Locke. So we can see, though a great philosopher of education, he was unavoidably influenced by the current custom in the English society, which I take as a minor defect of his thoughts.Another defect in this book, is his totally denying of the school education, he thought: “yet the ordinary way of learning it in a grammarschool is that which having had thoughts about I cannot be forward to encourage. The reasons against it are so evident and cogent, that they have prevailed with some intelligent persons to quit the ordinary