The Ladder Up
Confucianism is one of the oldest ideas in the world, which has spent a large chunk of its existence having people debate whether it is a religion or a philosophy. Most of its tenets focus on different relationships between people, with the five main relations being ruler and ruled, father and son, older sibling and younger sibling, friend and friend, and husband and wife. However, there is another lesser known tenet of Confucianism, and one deeply ingrained into the fabric of Chinese culture which stresses the importance of education.
The imperial examination system in China is one of the oldest meritocratic institutions in history, which in many ways continues on even today. At its core, it provides a great chance for in theory any person to rise up the social ladder regardless of class. In practice, most of the time it was only the wealthy who could afford an education, but in very rare cases, someone with extreme talent managed to rise from a poor peasant to one of the highest positions in society.
Two millennia and one pacific ocean later, a group of revolutionaries were creating a revolutionary new government, one that, in theory, had no social classes, no king, no nobility. This new nation was the first modern instance of a democracy on a scale not seen since the death of Caesar. But in no society can there be no difference in social class(At least thus far in history). So how would this new nation decide social class and station?
The main factor determining social station in this new nation is wealth - but something that is equally important for social class is someone’s education level. In this new nation, anyone who could obtain a good education could find a way to move up in the world - and many new opportunities were opened up to them.
From then all the way to the modern day, someone's education became one of the most important powers someone can have. Education literally comprises someone’s own ability to move up in the world, and is a measurement of how many opportunities are open to them.
And so when we move back to the present, it is important to know how precious a gift our own chance at education is, and how important it is to utilize this ability. For it marks the extent of our power in our own lives.
Rae, Callum. “Where Is Education Heading Next?” eLearning Industry, 17 Oct. 2022, elearningindustry.com/where-is-education-heading-next.
Hey Wesley! I love learning about other religions and philosophies so this blog was really interesting to me. I was pleasantly surprised by the similarities between Hinduism, the religion I follow, and Confucianism. In Hinduism and Indian culture in general, there is a strong emphasis on Filial Piety, just like in Confucianism. Respecting elders is an important aspect of my culture. Similarly, just like in Confucianism, In Hinduism, education is considered crucial and curiosity is a commendable characteristic everyone is encouraged to have. In fact, questioning what is written in ancient texts and seeking answers is the basis of much of Hinduism. I especially like how you connected this new system of running the government to historical ways of teaching and explained how these aspects of Confucianism came to be. Education is still seen as a way to move up in social class throughout the world, which is why I think so much stress is put on students to get good grades and do well in school. I definitely agree with you that education gives people power in their lives.
ReplyDeleteHello Wesley! I enjoyed your blog this week and I thought that the topic of Confucianism was very interesting. I remember learning a bit about this in AP World back in sophomore year, so the details you provided were a welcome refresher. I think your focus on education rather than religion was a very interesting perspective.
ReplyDeleteThe imperial examination system sticks out to me as a very clear memory from AP World, and I remember thinking, even at the time, that this system is extremely efficient and fair. I do agree that education is essential to a good future and perhaps even to wealth, as education has become quite a deciding factor in one’s quality of life. At this very moment, all of us are doing our best to get into the best colleges possible—all so that we can get a good education. Today, kids everywhere know that the key to going above their circumstances is a solid education. I thought your writing style truly supported this point and created a vivid and easily understandable read.
Overall, I truly enjoyed learning a bit more about your perspective on education and I look forward to learning more about you!