Reflections on Session #3/4 (10/13, Saturday)

[Anonymous]

Saturday was a great day. The debate was very interesting and I got to understand better the four schools. Also the different movie clips gave me a great insight in China's culture and history. I went home to look for the rest of the movie "To Live" and I finish watching it. Also, I am planning to have my Journalism students do a movie review of a movie and a documentary on China. The documentary "The Last Train Home" was very interesting and after watching the whole movie, I became more aware of China's society and the struggles the families have to deal with everyday in order to offer their families a better life. China is such an interesting society and in some many aspects very similar to ours. Family matters and many times we have to go above and beyond our means to provide a better life for our children. Cheers
edited by chernandez on 10/15/2012

[Anonymous]

At the birthing of the common era, three wise men, presumably from the Orient, followed some bright star to some obscure outpost of the Roman Empire, bringing with them more than a bunch of gold and myrhh or whatever. It has been suggested in my previous readings that the wise men represent the arrival of new ideas and philosophies from the East, maybe Indian, maybe Chinese. Such new schools of thought may well have influenced the prevailing theological discussions of the time. Some of the tenets of Confucianism are echoed in the principles of what would become Christianity: a mandate from heaven, benevolence and charity, do unto others as you would have done unto you etc. The Daoist ideology seems to be a precursor to the distinction between a heavenly paradise and the "non-essential" trappings of terrestrial life. The Mohists remind me of those evangelical types that believe we are all inherently sinners. As for the Legalists, their views serve imperial design, the subjugation of the masses to a rigid authoritarianism, the Roman Empire, the consolidation of the Catholic Church after the fourth century. Confucianism presents a noble code of conduct for enlightened and educated citizens, but there are too many people that just need to be told what to do. These are the people that all too easily get swept along by whatever big powerful movement captures the untrained imagination, for better or worse. The Greeks had something to say about all of this too. And which school of thought would appeal to the "debaters" of today?

[Anonymous]

Of all the schools of the thought, the only one suited for governing a state is Legalism. The ruler is not as necessary as the right laws, in fact it is the clarity of the laws along with their punishments and rewards that keep order in society. The other schools of thought are more philosophies that are better suited for the use of life coaches to help their clients better their lives. The Qin dynasty used Legalism to a high degree of effectiveness; in fact it was used to unify China.

I see parallels with other philosophies as well. For example, Aristotle also believed in the rule of law and understood that it was far better to have a good set of laws than a good ruler. Another example is that Machiavelli like Shang Yang believed that a ruler can use fear and greed to manipulate a person to obey the laws. These ideas have been used and are still used today by totalitarian governments to keep their people in line. I am reminded of what Dr. Dube said about the Qin dynasty. He said that there operational philosophy was Legalism, but their promotional philosophy was Confucianism. Many of these totalitarian governments use other philosophies to hide their true natures and intentions. They use Islam or Communism as a front, but in reality they are just totalitarian governments that use Legalist means to control their populace. It makes sense after all, Legalism is nothing more than a realization of the nature of most human beings who will obey if the reward is big enough or the punishment is brutal enough.

[Anonymous]

I though Saturday's session was great! I really enjoyed the debate among the four philosophies and definitely developed a better understanding of each of them, not just the one I was assigned to. I also enjoyed the section on life expectancies and the realities of life in Asia today. Once thing that I would like to "complain" about is that there are too many great movies introduced in the class and I know I won't have the time to ever watch them all! I had a film in mind before Saturday and now, I have a few more that I would really like to watch, especially the film on Confucius. Most classes that I take are a bit on the dry side and are mostly lectures or a lot of reading: this course is probably the most interesting that I have taken because of the use of multimedia and the content itself. I cannot belive more teachers are not signed up for this class!

[Anonymous]

I enjoyed afternoon session in Saturday. After reading few classroom assignments for eastern philosophy, I wasn't sure about the subjects, I must admit. Professor Dube did explain quite well on this hard subject in a very short time. But it was our debate, I began to understand the positions of each school and had urges to study more deeper.

[Anonymous]

It is an interesting quasi-quandary that Taoism was as intolerant as it was, historically, of teachers (especially for those of us that presented on the topic). Though within Taoism itself this intolerance makes perfect sense, as the intention is to have the negative aspects of humanity not be perpetuated (i.e. through an “educational institution”), in another light it is a bit of a contradiction to have “educators” present and advocate for this approach. In addition to reaching this understanding from our interaction on Saturday, I also believe that Taoism could work sociologically, but only if everyone practiced it, and if there were even one aspect of society (or any one society for that matter) went against “the Tao”, it would necessarily be one that perpetuates the destruction of society itself. Just like in nature, when if one particular aspect of an ecosystem abuses its abilities or goes unchecked, the eventual consequences are destructive (think the effects of natural disasters, cancer, etc.). I believe the same thing to be true of the doctrine of “to each according to her/his needs; from each according to her/his abilities”; until this is practiced by all, there will continue to be the same “hiccups” that our own history has taught us so well could and should be easily avoided. Imperialism/Capitalism does not exist in nature. Symbiosis does. If only people paid attention…

[Anonymous]

Last Train Home is a powerful documentary on the plight of the Chinese people to make it home on time for the Chinese New Year. The trek follows a couple in a particularly arduous journey; going from home and returning home to feast in the warmth of the ancestral home, that presently holds the future, (the children). The sacrifices endured by all the people in the family. The parent’s dilemma to endure the harsh consequences of economic hardship if they stay in their village and the plight to forgo child rearing to seek economic prosperity for the whole family at a great emotional expense for all involved. The children look towards the horizon, beyond the distance enveloped in longing and deep sorrow. For the children the feelings of parental abandonment run high and they struggle to understand their parents perspective of “better life “The human struggle and sheer futility in obtaining the unobtainable appears to be the common thread throughout the film. The precarious situations people find themselves in. The film was an uncomfortable to watch, in particular the swarming of all the people at the train station. I felt the pain and despair of being totally helpless without recourse at the mercy of the system. Conversely, I learn that systems if administer efficiently can amplify service delivery. The film help to put the word bureaucracy in the proper context for the delivery and organization of resources for the people bound in community responsibility. There were sad and difficult moment when the generational points of view clash and the sense of respect from daughter to parents is broken, when daughter use of profanity in the presence of the whole family irate the father and escalates the altercation into a physical exchange w/ daughter.

[Anonymous]

Yes, the Saturday meeting was very informative. When I was preparing for the debate, I had visions of what it was going to be like. I thought I would walk into the room and there would be a table with microphones for us to speak into. So, when I entered the room, I was so relieved. I was not as prepared as I thought I was. However Mr. Dube really laid it out in a very understandable way. The information about the Moon Pies was enlightening. Introducing the Moon Pies to my students will probably the only thing they will remember along with the achievements the Chinese have contributed to the world. It makes me wonder if those Marshmallow Pies I grew up eating are a replica of Moon Pies? HMMM

[Anonymous]

I appreciated learning that two of the most influential schools of thought in ancient China were Confucianism and Daoism. From our readings and lectures, I discovered these philosophies were not only ways of thinking, but ways of life. They are not religions: they have no teaching of worship of gods, or the afterlife; each philosophy focuses on the individual and their behavior. Prior to our class, I had a general understanding of these perspectives, but I did not really know how these belief systems penetrated the lifestyle of Chinese citizens. What fascinated me more was my introduction to Legalism. In learning about this way of ruling, I was reminded of Machiavelli, and was therefore not surprised that Legalism was considered the most efficient and effective way in unifying China. Nevertheless, on a personal note, I was saddened to see ruling through fear won out over individual responsibility to one's community and oneself.
edited by mwatt on 10/30/2012

[Anonymous]

[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]I enjoyed the format for Saturday's philosophical debate. I imagine that many such discussions took place during the period of the Warring States and the Hundred Schools. Since there was no imperial power to enforce intellectual conformity there must have been a lot of free-wheeling debate about how to improve the situation in China. Dividing us into schools of thought emphasized the diversity of thinking at the time. I can see conducting a similar activity in my AP World History classes. I would come up with a couple of key decisions that had to be made about how society was to be organized and then ask each philosophical group to propose solutions and defend them in debate with the other groups. Each group could begin by describing their historical origins and basic tenets. I think it would convey the origins of the philosophical approaches that subsequently guided all of Chinese history, especially the dualism between Confucianism and Daoism[/font]

[Anonymous]

Learning about the five religions in Chinad and the philosophies of the four schools of thought made this session one of the best. Before this session, it had been a very long time since I last heard about the four schools of thought. Before the debate, I was somewhat confused about what the perspective of each school was. However, during the debate, as each school expressed their point of view based on their belives, each school of thought became easier to understand. I found particularly interesting the philosophy of Daoisim (The Way), it believes that life is genarally happy but that it should be lived with balance and virtue. I liked the way the dabete made us think about they way we were going to respond based on the school of thought believes. This is a good way to engage students in the classroom, this will ensure that studetns really understand a concecept so they can participate in the debate. This is an excellent way to do a check for understanding during classroom instruction. I did not only learned about the schools of thought, but how to use debate in my classroom to increase student engagement.

[Anonymous]

what a great learning experience. Getting ready for the debate helped me better understand the differences between all four Chinese philosophies, but the actual debate did not just help clarify some points, but it inspired me to conduct that kind of teaching in my classroom.
on a different note, having the session on a Saturday was a great idea. After work it can be a bit hard to concentrate.

[Anonymous]

"We must take man as we find him, and if we expect him to serve the public, [we] must interest his passions in doing so. A reliance on pure patriotism has been the source of many of our errors."

The quote above is Alexander Hamilton yet it could nearly be a Chinese Legalist. Before preparing for this session, I largely discounted Legalism. As well I had no previous awareness of Mo-ism.

[Anonymous]

Saturday's session was enjoyble and very informative. It backed my belief that the more involved a student becomes in the subject he or she has more understanding of it. I noticed that some of my classmates on Saturday were somewhat uncomfortable at the beginning of the session. However, when they saw it was to be a cooperative project they appeared to become more relaxed and seemed to be gaining more understanding as the day continued. I noticed these same type of comments on the web responses. I think as teachers we should look at the fact that as adults we find interactive learning is easier nd produces better outcomes. What does that mean for our students. They are recently away from a world of play and make-believe. Tie this learning style to factual scenes it seems a sure winner . .

[Anonymous]

The Saturday session was very informative. The debate was the best part of the day. I chose to be Confucianism and I must admit that I was a bit nervous going into this session because I did not know what to expect. I studied my part well and felt confident after reviewing the type of questions that were up for debate. The way the professor decided to carry out the debate was great. After having a delicious lunch I was glad to have some time to discuss strategies with my team members, this put my nerves at ease. After the debate, I felt that I understood the four schools better.

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