Diqin Designer

Chapter 203: Various Subjects Should be Established
Li Nian said: "The so-called 'teaching materials' are not only the teaching plans for teachers to impart knowledge, but also the textbooks for students to read and learn. After being compiled, teachers all over the world must teach according to the contents of the teaching materials, and students must also learn according to the contents of the teaching materials."

As soon as this was said, some people immediately became dissatisfied. They thought that teaching must be done according to the requirements of the textbooks. Isn't this compulsory? Then what about the teaching autonomy and learning freedom?
Moreover, some people even think that this will form a shackle on thoughts. If they are taught the same and learn the same thing and just listen to the textbooks, in the long run, everyone will be cast in the same mold. How can there be a hundred schools of thought and a hundred contending schools of thought?
They say that they will not eliminate or ban the Hundred Schools of Thought, but after doing so, the content of future teaching will be unified by the textbooks. Isn't this tantamount to eliminating and banning the original thoughts and theories of the Hundred Schools of Thought in disguise?

Some people also agree with Li Nian's words. Although letting a hundred schools of thought contend is a good thing, it also brings some problems: too many thoughts and doctrines confuse people's minds, which is not conducive to the stability of the world!

At this time, everyone felt that they completely understood Li Nian's purpose: the Qin Emperor unified the world through land and military force, and this person wanted to unify the world through ideology and doctrine.

This should be the reason why the Qin Emperor valued this person so much. The Qin Emperor wanted to use this person's talent to build a comprehensive country that would unify the world.

Although Li Nian’s proposal on textbooks is good, it will damage the interests of all of them. Which family will benefit from this textbook, and which family will suffer from it?

Even if the Hundred Schools of Thought that remain benefit from it, will they still be the same Hundred Schools of Thought as before?

Li Nian continued, "There is not just one textbook, and it doesn't mean that it will never change after it is compiled this time."

"Everything in the world is changing, and so are ideas and theories. If more correct theories and ideas are discovered in the future, they should replace the erroneous parts of the original textbooks."

"The textbooks don't just have one subject. Li believes that they should at least be divided into the following categories: humanities, history, moral education, geography, mathematics, the study of things, and physical fitness."

"The humanities subject uses classics from various schools of thought to help students understand the meaning of words and gradually learn how to interpret a sentence, understand an article, and learn to write their own words."

"'If a man does not know history, he cannot distinguish right from wrong; if a country does not know history, it cannot plan for the future!' This is not only to use the past history as a mirror for the future, but also to tell future generations what happened on this land and pass on the deeds of our ancestors."

“Only later generations will know that there was a man named Suiren who drilled wood to make fire, making the night no longer dark, and that Youchao built a nest with wood and made clothes out of leaves, that Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs, and that Dayu passed by his home three times without entering…”

"You will also know that the Emperor Qin once conquered the world and unified the country, and that you were once summoned here by Li to discuss matters."

“Only by remembering history can a country and a nation know its roots. If history is forgotten, it will be like duckweed in the river, unable to take root in the world and will only drift with the water.”

"History is a subject that must be taught so that future generations can see the glory of their ancestors and understand how difficult it is for China to have come this far. It is also a lesson that summarizes historical experience and allows future generations to learn from it."

"If you want to do something in life, you must first be a good person. Being a good person is called "self-cultivation" in Confucianism. But how do we cultivate ourselves?"

"The Confucian Book of Rites also says: 'If you want to cultivate yourself, you must first correct your heart; if you want to correct your heart, you must first be sincere; if you want to be sincere, you must first acquire knowledge, and acquiring knowledge lies in investigating things.'"

"This statement has clearly explained the process of self-cultivation. However, people are not born with the ability to investigate things and gain knowledge immediately. Therefore, they need someone to guide them, to help them investigate things and gain knowledge, to be sincere and upright in their hearts, and ultimately to cultivate their bodies."

"In this process, we also need to make them understand why they should be sincere and upright, and why they should cultivate themselves."

"This is called moral education. Education builds up their moral character, makes them patriotic and loyal to the emperor, and knows benevolence and filial piety. It does not mean that they must become useful people to the country and the people, but they should not harm the country and the people either." "Geography is to let students know the vastness of mountains and rivers, the vastness of the world, to let them know their own country better, to understand the difficulties of their ancestors in opening up the country, and that even an inch of land was not easy to come by. It is also to let them understand that this land is not the most fertile land in the world, and it also has its shortcomings."

Some people frowned. It sounded like this was trying to encourage people to know that there were better lands out there and to occupy and take them back.

"It is also to help them know how to deal with certain terrain and weather conditions in the future. For example, if they get lost in the mountains, they know how to identify the direction. When they arrive at a certain place, they know what kind of wild animals may live on the land and what kind of crops are suitable for growing."

"The importance of mathematics and the study of things. Without the study of things, we might still be using stones as tools and leaves as clothes. For example, today, Li and the others might still be wrapped in animal skins, holding a bone stick, with our buttocks exposed, squatting in a cave to discuss matters. That would not be called a gathering of wise men, but a gathering of apes!"

When hearing Li Nian's words "ape gathering", many people couldn't help but smile, which eased the originally serious atmosphere.

"We have many tools today because of our study of things. As for mathematics, I know that many people think that mathematics is not needed in daily life and should not be taken too seriously, but the study of things will continue to progress and more profound mathematics will be used."

"I know some people will say that we should wait until we need it, but some things cannot be done until we need it, because then it will be too late. Yesterday, a wise man asked what is the use of knowing the relationship between the three sides of the triangle?"

"The triangle is the most stable structure and is often used in daily life, such as building houses and shelves. If you know the relationship between the three sides, when building a shelf, wouldn't it be easy to know whether three pieces of wood can be put together?"

"For example, the pool that is draining and taking in water may seem useless, but a reservoir can be built. When a flood occurs, can't it be used for calculations?"

Li Shiqi, who was sitting in the front row of Confucian scholars, blushed. He had not expected that Li Nian would answer his question yesterday in public today. He wanted to stand up immediately, but then he remembered what Li Nian said and did not stand up again.

“Therefore, mathematics and the study of things are also very important and cannot be ignored.”

"The last one is about strengthening the body. Li believes that people who are literate should not only have sufficient knowledge, but also a strong body. If the body is not strong enough, even if the knowledge is sufficient, it will be difficult to do many things."

"And if you don't have a strong physique, how can you learn well? Will all students in the world be called 'weak scholars' or 'weak-armed' in the future?"

When everyone heard what Li Nian said, they all laughed, including the Confucian scholars. After all, this kind of student could never come from their Confucian school.

How can you be called a Confucian disciple when you don’t even have the strength to tie a chicken?

Although their Confucianism does not claim to be proficient in all martial arts and good at fighting, they are by no means weak and frail.

The "driving" and "archery" in the six arts of a gentleman ensured that the Confucian scholars at that time had a certain level of martial arts. Driving a chariot and shooting on horseback were not something that the weak could do.

(End of this chapter)