Daxue: The Great Learning for Universities Today

Abstract

The so-called daxue zhi dao 大學之道 (the Dao of great learning), though a Confucian way of self-cultivation, can inspire contemporary universities (daxue 大學) through a process of creative interpretation. Having examined the ethos of modern university in its four historical stages, I come up with its last stage of reaching out in the era of globalization and dialogue among civilizations, in which we have to rethink the idea of university from the fuller development of human reason. This can be achieved only through increasingly reaching out toward many others by means of mutual waitui 外推 (strangification) and self-reflection, which presuppose and announce an ethics of generosity in priority over and implementable by reciprocity. Universities today should learn from classical Confucianism, and we should keep in mind their initial generous spirit as exemplified by Confucius himself. Strangification and self-reflection, being moved by original generosity and implemented by reciprocity, will eventually bring us the hope of reason.