| Tao Xingzhi (1891-1946), the founder oflife education theory, lived in the age when ancient Chinese culture and the emerging western culture collided with and confronted each other. During the course of collision and confrontation, the Chinese culture and western culture kept blending with each other, and meanwhile set a deep brand on the people living in this age. Tao Xingzhi was right the outcome of this typical cultural complex—as a result of the collision and blending of Chinese and western culture. The same story happened with Makiguchi (1871-1944) , the initiator of Soka Education (also known as Value-creation Pedagogy), who was 20 years older than Tao Xingzhi, and lived in the age where the traditional Japanese culture and western culture combated fiercely with each other. The conflict between the two different cultures also had set deep brand on every Japanese living in this age. Makiguchi was a typical outcome yielded from the collision and blending of traditional Japanese culture and the emerging western culture.Both Tao Xingzhi and Makiguchi had been deeply edified by traditional culture, polished by western culture and affected by regional culture during the course when they grew from children in poor families up to great masters in education; meanwhile, they had never deviated from their own experience and practice in life. Under the historical background where situation changed frequently with big collision between oriental and western cultures, Tao Xingzhi and Makiguchi contemplated key issues faced by the society at their ages with broad angle of view and acute insight from three aspects including philosophy, religion and politics, and hence brought into being the three major foundation stones for their thoughts on education. Comparing the backgrounds of the ages where Tao Xingzhi and Makiguchi lived respectively, one could find many commonness or similarities. However, in view of the situations of the two nations at their ages, Tao Xingzhi and Makiguchi were more likely found with difference in individuality; it is the commonness and the individuality mentioned above that had led to similarities and differences between Tao Xingzhi and Makiguchi in their philosophical, religious and political views as well as education thoughts. For example, with regard to philosophical ontology, both Tao Xingzhi and Makiguchi had embraced materialistic and idealistic ideas. The difference is that Tao Xingzhi transferred from idealism to materialism; while Makiguchi preferred idealism to materialism in his late years. As for the content of value system, Tao Xingzhi emphasized on "truth, goodness and beauty", while Makiguchi replaced "truth" with "benefit", and advocated "benefit, goodness and beauty". In religion, they have different beliefs (Tao Xingzhi believed in Christianity and thought highly of Buddhism; while Makiguchi kept faith with Buddhism) and varied motivations; however, both of them had absorbed concepts such as mercy, charity, equality, and so on from religion, and applied these ideas to their service to politics and education. On politics, Tao Xingzhi energetically advocated republicanism and democracy; while Makiguchi advocated the integration of personal, national and social welfare and called for humanitarian competition; in spite of that, the two had same understandings on issues such as opposing wars and building a peaceful and harmonious world. As for education thoughts and purpose of education, both of them were identified as social priority believers. The difference is that Tao Xingzhi focused on the liberation of Chinese nation and cultivation of people featured by truth, goodness and beauty and people who can create fortune for the society; while Makiguchi emphasized on the cultivation of those who have the values of "benefit, goodness and beauty". On educational functions, both of them had promoted the role of education to the level concerning the fate of individuals, state and society for cognition, with the role of "creation" running across the whole process of education. The difference is that the former, based on the standing point to save the nation with education, located the functions of education more on the creation of culture, talents and nation as well as rebuilding of society; while the later, taking the life and the social background of his age as the standing point for his thoughts, had paid more attention to the role of education in cultivating one's creativity and helping to realize one's values of life. As for the content of education, both of them had been affected by Dewey, and emphasized life as the core of education. The difference is that Tao Xingzhi rebuilt Dewey's view that "education is life" to his own one that "life is education"; while Makiguchi agreed to and accepted Dewey's thoughts on education gently by taking into consideration the actual situation of education in Japan. On methods of education, both of them believed that education was not a way to infuse knowledge, but a way to show them the method to learn; and both of them emphasized on the organic combination of thoughts and practice. The difference is that the "golden touch method" advocated by Tao Xingzhi was the "integration of teaching, learning and practice" while Makiguchi advocated "convenience" and naturalness; on the organization form of education (view on school), both of them opposed the enclosed traditional school system, and advocated the integration of home, school and society. The difference is that the former emphasized that "society is school"; while the later did not remove the fences of schools thoroughly as did by the former; Makiguchi had developed the foresight that the enclosed school system had to be abandoned and half-day school system had to be adopted so that education could make a way out of the difficult position that it was then in. As for their views on teachers, both Tao Xingzhi and Makiguchi, as teachers themselves, believed that teachers played a crucial role in rebuilding one's mind, rebuilding the society and rebuilding the world. Therefore, they had raised very high requirement on teachers. The difference is that Tao Xingzhi encouraged the teachers to become top-grading educationalists; while Makiguchi hoped that the teachers would base their values and happiness on the career of education, and would become models of Soka education themselves.Education thoughts of Tao Xingzhi and Makiguchi stemmed from their ardent love of human life and peace of human society, and embodied intensive spirit of renovation and deep awareness of hardships. In view of nature, the education thoughts of both Tao Xingzhi and Makiguchi were recognized as modern education thoughts blending oriental culture and western culture. The difference is that the education thoughts of Tao Xingzhi were born in China, which lagged behind in development in oriental world and was underdeveloped then; while the education thoughts of Makiguchi were originated from Japan, which developed much earlier in oriental world and had stepped into the fast lane of development then. With regard to the characteristics of their education thoughts, Tao Xingzhi and Makiguchi had their unique individuality due to a lot of difference between the two such as the situation of their nations, their academic background, family status, social experience, and so on; however, they also shared commonness in many aspects; mainly in aspects such as criticism, creativity, role of main body, practice, nation,religion, and so on; As for the influence of their thoughts, to be objective, both the life education theory of Tao Xingzhi and the Soka education theory of Makiguchi had laid extensive and intensive influence on the social transitions and the development of education in their nations since the 20th century. However, compared with Tao Xingzhi, Makiguchi was relatively weak to some degree in some internal and external factors including educational experience, foreign language level, social status, social practice and intercourse skills, which had therefore limited the extent and depth of the influence of his Soka education theory on society.This study contains three major parts.Part one: General.Emphasis is given on explaining the reasons for and worthiness of conducting the study here, present status of studies on Tao Xingzhi and Makiguchi is outlined, and basic frame of study and methods of study are introduced.Part two: The core of this study. Emphasis is given on the description of the life courses of Tao Xingzhi and Makiguchi when they had grown up from children in poor families to educational masters through four major blocks including edification by cultures on native lands, submergence in alien cultures, influence by religious cultures and crystallization of personal practices(chapter 1); foundation stones of their education thoughts are analyzed from three major perspectives including philosophy, religion and politics(chapter 2); their views on various aspects such as purpose of education, functions of education, content of education, methods of education, organization form of education, teachers, and so on are studied(chapter 3 and 4); besides that, the nature, characteristics(chapter 5), influence of the education thoughts of Tao Xingzhi and Makiguchi are elaborated and appraised(chapter 6).Part three: Conclusions.Reasons on five aspects that have contributed to the worldwide concern of the education theories and practices of Tao Xingzhi and Makiguchi are probed into.
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