Further Understanding the Education Philosophy of the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc

Abstract

Surely, the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc became so famous in the Vietnamese Modern History not for its education achievement, but for the education philosophy that it left behind in the Vietnamese education history. In the first part of this article, Pham Hong Tung tries to clarify the origins of Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc's education philosophy. In the second part, he provides an intensive analysis of the contents of this philosophy and the characteristics of the education reform that the School launched out. Like other author, Pham emphasizes the patriotic and nationalist origins and motivation of the radical Confucian Intellectuals, who led the School. However, he also points out that the influences of Western theories, particularly the Social Darwinism, in fact provided the School with new world outlook and new concepts of life. Additionally the colonial development in Vietnam also contributed to the development of the School's new education philosophy. Finally, it is a big mistake to interpreting the new education philosophy of the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc as something opposite to all of the Confucian ethics. In fact, the leaders of the School were quite aware of the real values of the Confucianism and tried to select the good things from the tradition and mix them to good ideas of the West to develop a new Vietnamese education philosophy - a basis for new Vietnamese nationalism.