蒙以养正:王阳明儿童教育思想探析

To Be Nurtured:An Analysis of Wang Yangming’s Thoughts on Children Education

王阳明儿童教育思想既是儒家传统教化思想的发展,也体现其心学思想的主旨。有见于现实功利化教育的弊端,王阳明主张道德教育的优先性,以“教以人伦”为教育原则,通过开展歌诗、习礼和读书等教学活动培育儿童乐学、善学、向上的精神,促进儿童身心健康发展,达到“蒙以养正”的德性教化目的。王阳明的心学思想涵摄其儿童教育理念,教育的最终目标是期望通过“致良知”的工夫进路达成儒家的理想道德境界,在知行合一的践履中将儿童培育成君子。将王阳明儿童教育的思想精华和当今儿童哲学的发展内涵相结合,引导儿童在信息化时代成长为德智兼备的人。王阳明儿童教育思想透露出深厚的爱意,彰显出儒家“仁民爱物”的仁爱精神。

Wang Yangming’s thought on children education is not only the development of the traditional Confucian education thought,but also the main theme of his philosophy of the mind.In view of the weaknesses of the utilitarian education in reality,Wang Yangming advocates the priority of moral education,takes“teaching based on human relations”as the educational principle,and cultivates children’s love for learning,smartness in learning,and positive spirit through such teaching activities as singing,poems recitation,rituals practice and reading,so as to promote the healthy development of children’s body and mind,and achieve the purpose of moral education of“being nurtured by righteousness”.Wang Yangming’s thoughts of the mind cover his children educational philosophy.The ultimate goal of education is to achieve the ideal moral state of Confucianism through the“conscience”approach,and to cultivate children into gentlemen by virtue of the practice of the unity of knowledge and action.The present paper attempts to combine the essence of Wang Yangming’s children education with the developmental connotation of today’s children philosophy,thus guiding children to grow into people with both morality and wisdom in the information age.Wang Yangming’s thoughts on children education suggest a profound love and demonstrate Confucianist benevolent spirit of“benevolence toward other people and care for all other things”.