Diqin Designer

Chapter 199: Strengthen the body and civilize the mind

After Li Nian finished speaking, someone stood up and asked, "Sir, what do you think of other studies?"

Li Nian looked at the person who asked the question and replied, "Of course it is equally important!"

"Li believed that if a country wanted to be truly prosperous and strong, it should not be biased, but should develop in a balanced way, strengthening its body with the study of things and mathematics, and civilizing its spirit with the study of the various schools of thought on governing the world and pursuing goodness."

"Therefore, in Li's view, the study of things, mathematics and other studies are not only not in conflict, but complement each other and complement each other. Both the spirit and the body are indispensable."

"Without a strong body, one cannot prevent evil diseases from entering the body, nor can one resist the invasion of foreign enemies. Without a tenacious and wise spirit, no matter how strong one's body is, one is just a reckless man with brute force."

If we only talk about science and not humanities, then science will become extremely terrible. Not only will it not benefit people, but it will harm and destroy humanity.

Similarly, if we only talk about humanities and not science, not only will ignorance and superstition arise in civilization, but it will also restrict the development of civilization and prevent it from moving forward.

China's humanities have always been ahead of the West. Even in modern times, similar examples of what the West is doing can be found in Chinese history.

However, China's disregard for science made it difficult for China to make major breakthroughs spontaneously within the repeated cycle of dynasties.

There will be some people who develop some advanced tools and technologies, but they are too few to affect the entire nation.

Because most of the talented people spend their whole lives studying classics, trying to figure out the imperial examinations, and researching Confucian classics and other humanities theories.

Without a system to support it, without an environment to enable it to take root and grow, and without talent as a foundation, China was ahead of the world for many years, but was surpassed in just a few hundred years.

The development of science is indeed driven by a very small number of geniuses, and most people are simply extending and applying what the geniuses have discovered.

But where does genius come from?

If we don't train, select, or give them opportunities to show their talents, how do we know that they are geniuses?
A genius was also an ordinary person before he showed his talent.

Li Nian does not have the idea of ​​making everyone an elite in physics, chemistry and biology, but if more people study, it will be easier to discover and select talents from them.

If we follow Li Shiqi's intention and emphasize humanities over mathematics and the study of things, then most people will tend to favor humanities and leave the study of things and mathematics aside. Then where will the talents in physics and chemistry come from for the development of the Qin Dynasty?

It only made the Qin Dynasty follow the same path as later dynasties ahead of time.

But now is good, everything can be changed.

Li Nian's words "civilize the spirit and strengthen the body" have been repeatedly read by many people in their hearts.

Although this was modified by the words of a great man, in fact, Confucius had this idea when he determined that "archery" and "charioteering" were among the six arts of a gentleman. Confucius believed that a Confucian scholar should be good at both literature and martial arts.

If you can’t ride a horse or shoot arrows, and can’t beat others, what kind of Confucian scholar are you? How can you reason with others?
Unfortunately, in later dynasties, the six arts of a gentleman were almost abandoned by Confucian scholars, and words such as "weak scholar" and "unable to even tie a chicken" appeared to describe them.

If Confucius were to be resurrected and knew that the Confucian scholars of later generations had become like this, he would surely hold up the door panel and give them a good lesson.

Zhuang Huang stood up. Although he was older than Li Nian, he was as excited as if he had met a teacher. He said, "Sir, your words of 'civilized spirit and strong body' are exactly what I want. This saying can be applied not only to the country, but also to people."

"We should be like this when we are human beings. Only by exercising our bodies and strengthening our spirits can we live in peace and security in the world, be good people, and do good things." After Zhuang Huang, Master Chu Mo also said, "This is indeed a saying for governing a country and being a man. We should neither abandon the humanistic thinking that you talked about, nor abandon the way of studying things and mathematics. Only when the two go hand in hand can the country and the people be strong!"

At this time, Li Shiqi stood up, bowed to Li Nian, and asked a question: "Mencius once said, 'You can't have both fish and bear's paw.' Humanities theory, the study of things, and mathematics are another 'fish' and 'bear's paw.' May I ask how can you have both?"

Li Shiqi did not have any bad intentions, nor was he stupid. He was just like Chunyu Yue, who believed too much in Confucianism. That was why he came up with the "clever plan" of re-opening the Zhou Dynasty's feudal system when he was assisting Liu Bang.

Li Nian looked at this historical figure and shook his head, saying, "There are two major errors in what you said!"

Li Shiqi bowed again and said, "I would like to hear your opinion, sir!"

Li Nian said: "One mistake is that mathematics, the study of things and the humanities are not in a relationship of 'fish and bear's paw'. You can have both."

"Take the Mohist school as an example. The Mohists not only studied the humanities created by Mozi, but also studied the various methods of studying things and mathematics left by Mozi. Is there a conflict between them? Can't we have both?"

Chu Mo Juzi supported Li Nian at the right time and took the initiative to testify for Li Nian: "Young Master, what you said is right. Everyone in my Mo family has learned this way and I don't think it's inappropriate."

Li Nian added: "The second mistake is that you have misunderstood one thing. I do not intend to make everyone in the world proficient in the study of things and mathematics."

"People have talents that are either innate or acquired. The study of things and mathematics place particular emphasis on innate talents. But how do we discover these geniuses?"

"The solution I came up with is to let everyone learn some basic science and mathematics, and then select the best ones through examination. I can't say that I can select all the geniuses, but I can select a rough outline."

"The same is true for the humanities. People who are good at humanities can also be selected and their talents in humanities can be cultivated."

"This is what I mean when I say that humanities, the study of things, and mathematics should go hand in hand!"

None of the people present were really fools. After hearing Li Nian's words, they knew what Li Nian really meant.

But to do this, you must have the right books!
No wonder Mr. Li Nian wanted to compile new characters and textbooks. It turned out that his ultimate goal was to do this.

But once this is accomplished, the current situation of various schools of thought will be changed.

In the past, all the schools of thought basically went their own way. Even if they had differences and contradictions in their doctrines and ideas, they taught their disciples in their own way. But now, the various schools will be integrated, and their doctrines and ideas will also be unified.

Since there are contradictions and conflicts among the various schools of thought, some will inevitably be adopted and some will be discarded.

But whose will be adopted and whose will be discarded?

After the textbooks are compiled and spread throughout the world, will there still be independent schools of thought?

The purity of the various schools of thought will become a thing of the past, and they will become a situation where you are in me and I am in you. If you still want to maintain the independence and purity of your own school's thoughts and doctrines, you can only choose not to join or participate in Li Nian's textbook editing plan.

But this option is simply not an option, because even if they can be sure that they will not go, they cannot guarantee that other schools will not go.

The compiled textbooks will be used by students all over the world in the future. Whoever can gain an advantage in them will have his school of thought spread more widely. Otherwise, the school's doctrines will gradually be ignored and disappear over time.

(End of this chapter)