Children's Spirit: A Humanistic Expression

Different from adult's, children's spirit is unique. But it is gradually away from nature, plays, fairy tales and dreams in the technological flood of information, electronics and digital. The difference between children and adults are being eroded by the technological rationality of the adults. Child, as a cultural concept, came into existence in modern times. However, it is now in the crisis of "disappearance"in the course of modern civilization. Therefore, it is necessary to explore children's unique and colorful world, contemplate its cultural attributes, explain its humanistic characteristics, and appreciate its attractiveness, all of which reflects the requirement of designing humanistic education, protecting the natural state of childhood, and helping children to grow up in a harmonious way. In fact, understanding children's spirit is a lasting-for-ever subject. Because children's spirit and culture bear and develop adult's personality and humanity in the future. Moreover, children's spirit is a major part of human spirit system. Most important of all, focus on humanity of children's spirit is based on the following social and cultural settings, i.e. Science increasingly dominates cultural development in the modern society, so it is urgent to overcome the dehumanization of the technological rationality, reshape and regain the humanity of the humanism in the course of the civilization. This thesis consists of three sections, including nine chapters. Introduction: addresses this subject's significance and historic background and then explains the relationship between spirit and culture, and the relationship between humanity spirit and humanity culture. Section One Children's spirit and its generation In the course of human development, the principle of agreement between individual and category generation produces humanity agreement between children's spirit growth and human original culture. As a result, humanity of children's spirit is possibly and logically evolved. Chapter One Individual generation is a re-demonstration of human evolution This chapter first of all, elaborates agreement principle between individual and category biology generation, between individual and category spirit generation, and then sets forth the combination of biology and spirit generation, that of individual and category generation, and these two combinations evolve into another new combination----"combination's combination"in the coherence and transference of the individual, categorical, biological and spiritual factors. As a result, the integrated humanity came into being. Chapter Two Integrity between human's original culture and children's spirit humanity According to the principle of agreement between individual and category, this chapter elaborates inner agreement between human original culture and children's spirit, i.e. children's spirit is the resurrection and reappearance of human original culture in modern society. Then, it puts forward and elaborates humanistic character of human original culture based on the evolutive course of cultural development of humankind from humanity to positive science. Finally, it deduces a historical possibility: the humanity of children's spirit. Section Two Children's spirit and culture of humanity By comparative study of the children's spirit and culture of humanity, this section tries to find the evidence of the agreement between them, exposes the demonstration of the children's spirit or the humanistic traits of the culture of humanity. Specifically, this section will prove the agreement between children's spirit and the culture of humanity from five changes: first, from self-centered traits to humanity-oriented self-consciousness; second, from chaotic cognition of children to humanistic generation, third, from subconscious demonstration to metaphorical humanity; fourth, from the poetic logic of life to emotional understanding of humanity; and fifth, from the nature of playing to the permanent pursuit of humanistic freedom. Thus, this thesis puts forward its thematic point: children's spirit is humanistic by nature and its demonstration is that of the culture of humanity. Children's spirit builds an "alive"humanity culture. Chapter Three Children's self-centered spirit and humanity-oriented self-consciousness Children's spirit shows a self-centered trend when they deal with the outer world. This trend is a reflection of their "outlook". The culture of humanity is one of human self-consciousness, i.e. one that humankind reflects on themselves and pursues the meaning of survival. Finally, this chapter summarizes that children's self-centered spirit indicates the basic value of humanity culture, that is, human-focusedself-consciousness. Chapter Four The whole chaos of children's spirit and unity of subject and object of humanity knowledge This chapter, first of all, elaborates the whole chaos of children's spirit, which means children's spirit still does not differentiate. And then this chapter argues that the cognitive way of humanity culture reflects the unity of subject and object. Finally, this chapter puts forward that children's "epistemology"functions as that of humanity, in other words, the differentiation of the subject and object of the children's spirit is indicative of the unity of the subject and object of humanistic epistemology. Chapter Five Subconsciousness of children's spirit and metaphorical feature of humanity knowledge By analyzing the subconscious tendency of children's spirit, this chapter points out that natural subconsciousness lowers the possibility of children's spiritual rationality. Then this chapter addresses the existence of humanity culture and the metaphorical features of humanity knowledge. And finally, this chapter puts forward that the metaphorical existence of humanity makes room for the subconsciousness of children's spirit, which becomes the demonstration of the former. Chapter Six Poetic logic of children's spirit and emotional understanding of humanity This chapter, first of all, elaborates the poetic spirit of children's logic, and analyzes its pre-scientific and sensible tendency. Then it expounds humanity comprehension and humanity comprehension's blood. Finally, this chapter puts forward that poetic logic changes children's self-demonstration into emotional one, children's acceptance of the outer world into humanistic one, and children's poetic spirit is consistent with emotional understanding of humanity. Chapter Seven Nature of playing in children's spirit and freedom which human is pursuing By analyzing the nature of playing in children's spirit, this chapter points out that children's life is characterized with plays. And all tendencies of children's spirit are fulfilled in games. Then, this chapter addresses freedom, transcendence, and non-profit of humanity culture, and puts forward that the ideal and pursuit of humanity is spiritual freedom. Finally, this chapter summarizes that plays reflect children's freedom, so the ideal of freedom of humanity culture can be realized in children's plays.