Philosophy begins with wonder at the world

Theme: Young people's intellectual journey begins with surprise – why do we need philosophical education?

When: Saturday, March 5, 2022 in the afternoon

Venue: Shanghai Opera Art Bookstore, No. 620 Huashan Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai

Guest: Liu Qing, Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, East China Normal University

Wenjing Cai is an associate professor at the Department of Philosophy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Gao Song is an associate professor at the Department of Philosophy, Tongji University

Moderator: Zhang Song, director of the Opera Art Bookstore

Organizer: Ideal Country Echo Studio of the Wind

"Starting from Surprise: The First Lesson of Philosophy for Teenagers" is a book written by eight philosophy scholars, including Liu Qing, Cai Wenjing, and Gao Song, who recently gathered to discuss philosophy education at home and abroad, their feelings and reflections in educational practice, and the significance of philosophy for Chinese students and contemporary Chinese.

Philosophy is more important than a spiritual temperament and way of thinking

Zhang Song: "Starting from Surprise: The First Lesson of Philosophy for Teenagers" is a book written by eight philosophy scholars together, which has a particularly good subtitle - "Philosophy Begins with Surprise at the World". It deals with very fundamental philosophical thinking, and although it is a book for teenagers, I think it is also very suitable for adults.

Today here is a relatively relaxed way to chat in a salon. The "Republic" prepared some questions, because the three guests were all university professors, hoping to combine the teachers' own education and teaching experience at home and abroad to talk about the difference between philosophy education at home and abroad, and why young people should study philosophy.

Liu Qing: It is not said that children must learn philosophy. Don't think of philosophy as a kind of book knowledge, saying that you start reading Aristotle, Plato, Hegel, Kant, so that you can learn philosophy. No. Philosophy is the meaning of loving wisdom, so philosophy is more important, whether for children or non-professionals, is a spiritual temperament and way of thinking, which can more clearly identify complex problems and maintain an open mind. For no one can grasp all the absolute wisdom, but some questions can be relatively clarified.

I think the most fundamental philosophical temperament is to say that we are not drowned in the tides and torrents of the world in which we live. We can't always follow, because who are you walking with? So it will require you to have a so-called problematic, sometimes defamiliar, critical thinking distance, to the world, to yourself, to yourself, and to re-examine it. This is the temperament and ability of philosophy. If you develop this ability of your own, you will find that you may need some philosophical knowledge, that is, in principle everyone can approach philosophy, close to the temperament, consciousness and ability of philosophy, and I do not believe that anyone can really develop life without such a philosophical temperament at all.

So is it good? Some people say that after studying philosophy, it is very good not to think about it, but after making it so complicated, I can't understand it, and tell you that most things can't be solved. All that is solved is divided into various sciences, from the natural sciences to sociology and psychology. The rest may be the unsolvable questions, such as what is human consciousness, whether there is consciousness or not, whether consciousness is physical or pure, different.

But in any case, first, in the real world, to really develop life is inseparable from the sensitivity of philosophy, the temperament of philosophy. On the other hand, the philosopher Mill said that people have higher happiness and lower happiness, and he also said that "it is better to be a painful Socrates than to be a happy pig." I don't believe that man can live like a happy pig, but there is a meaning behind him that if you want to live a life, a spiritual existence, a moral existence in a fuller sense, then you have to be philosophical.

Cai Wenjing: The origin of this book was when Monsoon Bookstore wanted to do such a lecture series, Teacher Liu talked about the first class, and then I found Takamatsu and some other friends to talk about the next few chapters. We were all very happy, especially for me. I had just entered the university and was dealing with a group of college students, and I myself had a little difficulty in teaching college courses, because I had to talk about what I wrote on paper and pencil, so that college students could understand, and they probably didn't have any concept of philosophy before. To face high school students, they are younger, they have been educated all along, and may not have heard of philosophy, so it is a bigger challenge. In the process of preparation, including the process of speaking, I have a deep feeling.

Philosophy means asking the most fundamental questions and bringing about the power of innovation

Cai Wenjing: I very much agree with what Teacher Liu just said, if philosophical education is discussed in a very narrow sense, it is only regarded as an ideological tradition and as a discipline, and not everyone must accept it. But in a broad sense, philosophical education may be equated with education itself. My daughter is now in elementary school, and primary school will introduce some education in Chinese philosophy, the Confucian tradition, the Taoist tradition, and will tell them a little bit about this, in fact, this is also a kind of philosophical education. That is because philosophy itself belongs to the tradition of our thought and is inseparable. That's why when we talk about the French, they should be studying philosophy in their last year of high school, and they have to take philosophy in exams, and we feel as if they are particularly amazing. In fact, talking about Descartes and talking about Spinoza are the traditions of French national civilization. We also have a tradition of Chinese philosophy.

In the teaching of primary school Chinese now, if you do not just tell children to memorize texts and understand the text in a single way, but through questions, inspiration and associations, promote children to learn to think, reflect and ask questions in the text, which is also a kind of philosophical education. Philosophical education at this level is more important for students in China today. When I was young, I was particularly concerned about standard answers, and I felt that only one answer was correct, but it was definitely not the case. We want children to come up with new ideas, to be aware that there are many possibilities – on a personal level, they realize that they have a lot of possibilities; at the societal level, they can realize that they can overturn some of the ideas they already have, and then create and innovate, which is also very important.

Takamatsu: Philosophy as a discipline is of course very professional, and it is a headache to learn. You're going to study so many texts, you're going to read so many books, and of course not everyone has to do that. But I believe that the philosophical question, at least from my personal experience, has come into contact with me when I have not been exposed to it and do not know what philosophy is. My child is a year younger than Mr. Cai's child, and I find that he has a lot of philosophical ideas, he will ask the first person in the world how to come, he will raise the bar. I often make a video to talk to him about philosophical issues, and I can talk to him, really. Children are naturally curious about something, and we live in our habitual thinking repeatedly every day, it is difficult to feel problematic about something, we can't ask questions, and we lose the ability to be surprised. But children can be amazed that this ability is rooted in us, that we cannot completely lose it, that we just forget it.

When I was giving students a course on the History of Western Philosophy at Tongji University, because Tongji University was a science and engineering university, I said, "I'm telling you about the history of philosophy, not to remind you of what these philosophers have said." My idea is to cultivate a spirit that is to question the existing system of ideas, what you are exposed to. "Because philosophy is questioning, Aristotle questions Plato, the people behind question Aristotle, step by step, the history of philosophy is the history of the people in the back cutting off the heads of the people in front. So philosophy is difficult to enter, it is not like science, science can enter, because it is the foundation laid up and covered; philosophy is not, philosophy is to see the foundation and raise the bar with you, he asked you "Is this foundation cover firm?" I'm going to tear it down and rebuild it", it goes down. So you will think that philosophy has not progressed, may not be as advanced as science in this sense, but it is precisely the most fundamental question. If we have this ability, in our daily work, even if you are not a philosopher, you have the ability to jump out of the framework, and I think this will bring the power of innovation.

Philosophy is about resisting stupidity, making people more confident and humble

Zhang Song: In our current school education, there are no philosophy classes in elementary school, junior high school, and high school, and when we get to college, there will be a little. I was particularly impressed by the fact that in those years, college admissions consulting, economics and management were crowded, and the booths set up by the Philosophy School were cold and deserted. Some parents asked, "What is the use of philosophy?" "They say that philosophy is of no use, but it seems that it has any use. How do we guide our children on a philosophical path?

Liu Qing: We don't need guidance, we don't necessarily let him embark on a professional philosophical path. You just let him read, listen, express, talk, and finally give him his own choice. Philosophy as a temperament, a sensitivity, is more important than the philosophy profession. Of course, the philosophy major is also very good, in fact, the requirements are quite high. If you read Weber's "Academia as a Profession", he said that academic work is like this, it requires your concentration, the length of time, the kind of lonely exploration and patience. This may be true of all majors, but philosophy is at least so.

So being a philosopher and having a philosophical temperament are two different things. One of the encouraging things is that I've read a lot of surveys, and among Western liberal arts students, those who major in philosophy or minor in philosophy have higher incomes than other majors. A person with good philosophical qualities of thinking is more likely to clarify problems in conversation, to think about which problems cannot be solved, and where its causes are. These people are definitely understanding people in life, and generally speaking, they will have better expression and performance at work and in the team.

Being human and plotting cannot be completely separated, but they can be separated from the position of analysis. First of all, learning something is empowering for you. From the perspective of being more effective, it is what it is used for. This use, philosophy can be said, that is, you are a better logic, more with a variety of critical thinking, reflective ability, dialogue ability, can be listed a lot, and philosophy is not one, but many kinds. In addition, in addition to plotting, adults are more important. It helps you shape your personality and temperament, which is a silent thing. That is to say, if you have philosophical literacy and sensitivity, this person is more or less a more or less a more well-informed person. And in general, he will become humble, because he asks fundamental questions, knows that many problems in this world are unresolved, and will restrain his impulse to become the embodiment of truth. That kind of absolute authority, "I am knowledge, I am the truth, I know everything," is stupid. In life, I see a lot of arrogant people, if you are not polite to say, stupid people who are stupid and do not know that they are arrogant, people who are stupid and not self-aware and arbitrary, they are people who completely lack philosophical temperament.

A person who studies philosophy may be confident at times and stubborn at times, but there will always be a voice to remind him. Socrates said, "The important thing is to make me ignorant," which in itself can be playful. So philosophy creates a character that makes you listen to others, and you try to understand. Our current habit is that when I listen to you, I think about how to refute you, and most of the time that's the case. And there's a habit behind this, philosophy is resistant to this thing, philosophy is to resist stupidity.

When a person has a philosophical character thinking, there is a greater probability that he will be able to get along better with people. This "good" is not to be polite, but when there is disagreement and argument, he has a more attractive and convincing way to let people see another possibility when they are deadlocked. He is not saying that everything is dodged and promised, that he can express justice, but he will have a limit on these justices and his views, a reservation. This kind of person, I believe, is more appealing and attractive in public life, and more confident and humble in private life. Philosophical self-confidence is a very dialectical relationship. No matter what industry such a person is in, as long as he deals with people, he will be very good. This is a particularly important character or spiritual temperament of a person, Aristotle will say virtue, sacredness, bravery, tenacity, Chinese philosophy will say "gentleman".

Philosophical wisdom and spirit in a broad sense must be more interesting people

Liu Qing: In the final analysis, don't deliberately guide your child to take a philosophy major, that would be anti-philosophical. But inspiring, encouraging, and stimulating his philosophical thinking and sensitive spiritual temperament will help him in all his work. But help is indirect. I am somewhat stubbornly convinced that having philosophical wisdom and philosophical spirit in a broad sense must be a more abundant life, and an interesting person. The funny thing is to say that he is not so dogmatic, how pathetic you are to live a life dogmatically - you will be very clear, everything has an answer, and whoever opposes the answer will be angry. This kind of pity is actually a spiritual refugee. I've seen a lot of speeches, and I think they're all spiritual refugees. Man does not have to be like this, he can live in other ways.

So on the other hand, philosophy is an adventure. Because philosophy has another very radical side, it can issue all the frameworks, premises, dogmas on which you originally relied for your life, which is not something that everyone can afford. That is to say, as a purely philosophical life, it is quite difficult for you to gain a firm foothold in any real society. To have a very strong maverick mental state. Ordinary people can't do it, I can't do it myself, and someone like Nietzsche can probably do it.

Philosophy does not mean that you are either a man like Nietzsche or that you are a dogmatic spiritual refugee guarding your unreflected so-called principles. These are two extremes. Everyone will grow up in philosophy, on the one hand we need a certain certainty, a sense of stability, on the other hand, to get out of their original state. The greatest or most unfortunate development of mankind is to leave—we depart from where we were, from that very narrow place. Exodus is a desirable and risky thing.

Spiritually, we used to believe in something so much that it eventually changed. So it is an adventurous process, and it has two sides: on the one hand, it makes you more accessible and richer, more interesting, but on the other hand, it must be risky. So in the course of philosophy, you may have to develop a character, a spirit of bravery and fearlessness. If your adventure destination is guaranteed, there is no need to be brave at all. Just like travel, there is a particularly good tour company, each location is arranged for you, you are only a little tired at most. But is the point you've come to the point you want? Like that kind of spontaneous tourism, it is not the same as this completely arranged, completely certain life, but in this life man lives out what life is. That free spirit belongs to man, and in this sense man is fuller and richer.

We are not here to encourage that extreme, to abandon ourselves forever, to keep running away, which we ordinary people can't do. But life makes choices, you have a certain place in a very broad lineage, and you will look for that position. Philosophy encourages you not to stop forever, but to enjoy so comfortably a fixed state of life and way of thinking without reflection. It encourages you to run away, which is a temptation because mistakes will be made. But otherwise, we are not enough to be human.

A person with a good philosophical temperament and sensitivity will most likely perform better in love

Zhang Song: The whole theme of spring is love, how does the philosophy class have anything to do with love? Young people have learned philosophy, is it smoother to fall in love? Or is it more logical to talk to boyfriends and girlfriends? After learning philosophy, can you handle love better?

Liu Qing: I have talked about this issue on many occasions, as if it was also in "Strange Story".

It should be said that if you are a person with a good philosophical temperament and sensitivity, there is a high probability that you will perform better in love. But this does not mean, first, that you will succeed; second, that you will be easily resented by someone you particularly like in your own mind. But you're bound to behave better than others. This "good" means that he is friendlier and more decent, and that he is more able to show humanity in the process. What is very troublesome about love is that the most terrible, the most extreme, the craziest, the lowest side, the noblest side are all there, so in a special intimate relationship it is best to understand a person. And when you come out of this intimate relationship, you yourself are a little afraid to say, "How can I be such a person?" How I am so noble, really stupid! ”

I am not a person who has done very well in the past, and I have learned philosophy from such lessons.

For example, I used to misunderstand philosophy by saying "philosophy is reasonable", I have reason, this philosophy is used to reason in life, reason is more advantageous than violence. In the past, it was said that patriarchy, the lowest level of patriarchy is domestic violence, domestic violence can indeed cause dominance, but people are not convinced. If you explain people thoroughly in a reasonable way, they are not in a good mood, but he can't refute you. This domination, I think, is a higher kind of patriarchy. Some women are also very reasonable, so that you are dumb and powerless to refute. The domination of discourse is something I realized theoretically very late, and this realization I read early on. My own emotional experience of the past is a transformation of myself, not that I went from elementary school to philosophy very well, and then went well in it, not like that.

These experiences and problems that arise will lead me to understand philosophy more deeply, or to explore philosophy more deeply, what kind of person it makes us, rather than a skill.

I have talked a lot about love, and now this era of communication is easy to be taken out of context, for example, when I talk about getting the highest recognition in love, they say, "Where do such people live?" Does he live in heaven? Love is not like this at all, love is very realistic chai rice oil salt." I say why love is worth yearning for, and why it is not easy to last with a high probability, because it does not mean that love in a warm ideal state is not lasting, it has no meaning. It's very, very meaningful to your relationship, to your personal growth.

The best function of philosophy is self-growth

Cai Wenjing: I think philosophy may have two levels of function, one is that it can tell us what the ideal state should be. For example, in Plato's thought—we'll talk about "platonic love" today, the previous common understanding may be a misinterpretation—Plato would have thought that love was about the ascension of the soul. Ideally, we should find such a person, or such a soul, that can elevate us, not to suppress us, but to develop more abilities and possibilities for us.

On the second level, studying philosophy or philosophy should make us more independent—I think myself, I give reasons, I defend myself. These exercises or these habits will make us more independent. Becoming a more independent person may allow you to find a more suitable love, or when you have difficulties, it is easier to say "no" and less likely to be PUA. This might help a bit.

Liu Qing: Wen Jing mentioned Plato's love, which is most typically reflected in "Drinking Chapter". Like Plato's realm of love, we don't need to love anyone, you can see the good in all places, without the help of any one figurative person. This realm is very, very high. Finally he stood there alone like a stone, and he became self-sufficient. But in life each of us is expecting to depend on others.

Philosophy is not the success of love, it does not guarantee the success of your love. But in my personal experience, it may be precisely because of my philosophical temperament and sensitivity that it helps me grow from my own experience. Man is by constantly recreating his own life — what happened in the past doesn't end, it's constantly in our memory, like a movie, that material is there — and then rewriting them in your present framework and consciousness, and finally explaining the whole past and your present life, forming a self.

I think philosophy is more helpful in helping us to constantly reinvent ourselves, and from your experience, you will learn more because of the character of philosophy. And you learn more, and at the same time you enhance or deepen your philosophical qualities, forming a constant process of reshaping, which will help a lot. Everyone has internal conflicts, grievances, guilt, shame, pride, but you need to reconcile and accept yourself in a way that does not deceive yourself.

This is not a kind of "accept yourself" that people often say now - don't blame yourself, for example, I am a very grumpy person, I used to want to change, but then the psychologist told me, you accept yourself. Well, then I started to continue to be grumpy. Accepting yourself is not at all what it means. Reconciliation with oneself is about condensing all the past one's own experiences and thoughts into a new, larger framework and reinventing oneself. On the one hand, you coordinate those conflicting factors, on the other hand, you can't be too whitewashed, you can't be too self-deceived - "this is all someone else's fault", "this scumbag", "this girlfriend betrayed me", one day you may say "not necessarily, he is not so bad, right?" "Then you collapse, you can't stand a little bit of harsh self-questioning.

A good self-construction must be faced with facts. People always have a whitewashed side, but not too much. After too much, the problem is not that others do not believe, but that they do not believe, and after not believing, they have not reached the task of self-reconstruction, and finally have not achieved self-acceptance. Self-acceptance is a high realm, not "already like this, just do it." Some of our habits are quite difficult to change, but it does not mean that you let yourself go.

So the best function of philosophy, which seems to be very mysterious, is actually very simple, that is, reflection, sensitivity, and processing of the things you have passed, which itself has a fact side, an experience side, and your thinking. That is to say, each of us is acting in a movie and constantly editing until you are satisfied, feel sincere, and accept yourself. Of course, when the film about the self is released, it feels quite good, there is comfort, there is joy, it is very good, and philosophy is the most beneficial to such self-growth.

(Finishing/Rain Station)

Source: Beijing Youth Daily