Comparative Studies Of Confucius And Socrates’ Moral Education Thoughts

As representative personages of Chinese and Western civilization, Confucius and Socrates laid the founda tion of the moral education thought of eastern and western respectively. Using the comparative research approach to study the moral education thoughts of Confucius and Socrates can help us clarify the similarities and differences of eastern and western mor al education thoughts from the source, and through comparison and analysis of these two thoughts, we can gain a deeper understanding of Chinese and Western traditional, and critically assailed all positive factors of Chinese and Western moral education. Besides, it is of both theoretical and practical significance to make reasonable consideration about the building of current Chinese moral education.This thesis firstly elaborates the significance for choosing this topic, the present condition of studying on this topic and the related research and study method. Then it mainly talks about Confucius and Socrates within their respective historical background, which is as the groundwork of the next part with a view that moral education should combine with the environment of that time. Next, this thesis compares the similarities and differences of the two moral educational thoughts further, through which, it indicates the practical significance of these two thoughts. And it carries on a more systematic collation, interpretation and comparison towards these two moral education thoughts by studying Confucius and Socrates’ personal writings and research materials of the later researchers. Last, it explores the enlightenment of Confucius and Socrates’ moral education thoughts for modern ethical education in colleges and universities.As for research methods, in this paper, generally two basic methods are applied, namely, the comparative research, and the literature data method. This paper mainly includes two major arg uments, one of the evidence of this argument is the related work of their students, the other is the research material of the later researchers. In addition to employing the basic theories of ideological and political education, this paper also pay attenti on to the absorption of related theories of pedagogy, psychology, ethics, Chinese and foreign ideological and philosophy history during the analyzing and researching process.