Abstract
This chapter compares the personal backgrounds, educational practices, and political standpoints of two leading Asian philosophers from the twentieth century—Rabindranath Tagore from India and Hu Shih from China—on how education can be used to cultivate individual, social, and global development. The chapter begins with biographical details that led to the formation of their philosophies and activities and then compares diverse interpretations of their political standpoints in order to illustrate their educational intentions and practice. Further, the chapter considers three underexplored layers for the interpretation of Tagore and Hu Shih’s respective educational visions in a broader domain. Specifically, balanced perspectives for a harmonious relationship between the individual and society as well as the fragmented culture and integrated world were endorsed by both educational theorists. We conclude that the two philosophers’ intentions and contributions toward using education as individual cultivation and social development remain invaluable for today’s new generation of educators.
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Notes
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Public domain image retrieved from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rabindranath_Tagore_in_1909.jpg
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Public domain image retrieved from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hu_Shih.jpg
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Zhang, LX., Hebert, D.G. (2023). Beyond Education: A Comparison of Tagore and Hu Shih’s Educational Philosophies. In: Hebert, D.G. (eds) Comparative and Decolonial Studies in Philosophy of Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0139-5_6
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