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Confucian Self-cultivation and the Paradox of Moral Education

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Moral Education and the Ethics of Self-Cultivation

Part of the book series: East-West Dialogues in Educational Philosophy and Theory ((EWDEPT))

Abstract

Self-cultivation 修其身 (xiu qishen) is a perennial concern in Confucianism. All Confucian scholars affirm the primacy of self-cultivation although they differ in their specific formulations and recommended ways to achieve it. In this chapter, I examine and compare the educational thought of two eminent Confucian philosophers: Mencius (Mengzi) 孟子 (372–289 B.C.E.) and Xunzi 荀子 (310–235 B.C.E). These two philosophers are the two foremost thinkers after Confucius in classical/early Confucianism.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Charlene Tan

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  1. Charlene Tan
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Correspondence to Charlene Tan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

    Michael A. Peters

  2. Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

    Tina Besley

  3. Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

    Huajun Zhang

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Tan, C. (2021). Confucian Self-cultivation and the Paradox of Moral Education. In: Peters, M.A., Besley, T., Zhang, H. (eds) Moral Education and the Ethics of Self-Cultivation. East-West Dialogues in Educational Philosophy and Theory. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8027-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8027-3_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-8026-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-8027-3

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