부산대학교 도서관

The purposes of this study are to analyze the philosophical characteristics from the ecological viewpoint based on the basic principles of the ideologies of Laozi and Zhuangzi, and to suggest the modern educational implications contained in such features. The major contents of the study are summarized as follows.First, Laozi regards human beings and nature as an organically unified body which exists and prospers together while having the same characteristics and following the same rules. The world is a unified body because Tao is the common base and intrinsic origin of the unified body. Thus, Laozi regards the structure of nature as an ecological net created by the mutual dependence and connection of all things. Nature viewed as an ecological net has a natural law of equality and balance, and this equality and balance leads to the idea of ​​respecting life. Therefore, Laozi puts importance to the coexistence and harmony between human beings and nature. In addition, the ecological view of nature shown in the ideologies of Laozi and Zhuangzi is applied as an important basis of environmental ethics and eco-oriented philosophy, and leads to inactive attitude in human life. Second, based on the basic principles of Tao, Chi, Object(物), and Inactivity, Zhuangzi describes the ecological view towards the world included in the ideologies of "Tao resembles nature," "Heaven and human are one," and "There are no high and low among objects." He says that discriminative judgments on what is precious or not, and what is great or not, are not absolute and that people should escape from such prejudice. At the same time, he emphasizes that there is no discrimination among not only humans but all ecosystems, thinking that all animals, including humans, are essentially equal.Third, the modern educational meaning of the ideologies of Laozi and Zhuangzi can be summarized as the educational ideology of returning to nature, that of equality, and the educational practice of inactivity. Although Laozi never mentions the connection between Tao and education systematically, concepts such as the principle of returning to nature or inactivity closely related to the ideology of "Heaven-Earth-Human" are expanding the horizon of modern education philosophy.The natural philosophical thoughts of Laozi deals with the harmonic viewpoint of nature and human beings demanded desperately today, and the issue of nature-oriented values which can embody such harmonic viewpoint. To sublimate the natural philosophical perception of Laozi into an alternative recognition for solving environmental problems, it is clearly necessary to analyze and criticize the non-ecological elements of modern educational theories. Looking at the modern educational characteristics implied in Zhuangzi's thoughts, Zhuangzi says that education must make human beings respect, understand and comply with the essence of all lives. The ideologies of "Heaven and human are one," and "Nature and human are one" demand man's respect to nature and the alteration of consciousness to consider nature as a friend. These ideologies are also the philosophical source of ecological ethics. As to the relationship between human beings and nature, Zhuangzi insists not to destroy nature for the sake of one's desire, and to live peacefully with animals and plants while preserving the original image of Mother Nature. He also emphasizes that human beings should escape from the torment of artificiality and live a inactive life while harmonizing with nature. Looking at the overall context of the ideologies of Laozi and Zhuangzi, there is a deep philosophical and educational interest in what is a good life without greed and discrimination, and what is the way to accomplish such a life. Each chapter of "Laozi" and "Zhuangzi" talks about nature and Tao, but that of conclusion says a harmonious way of life that human beings must have. Their purposes are to re-invoke the human life to return to its original state through discerning the universe and nature, and practicing inactivity. These ideologies deeply show how human beings escape from self-centered prejudices and dogmatism, and get free from the narrow-minded attitudes with such prejudices.The ideologies of Laozi and Zhuangzi are from two thousand years ago, when its environmental structure is quite different from ours, in addition, they have no experiences of the extreme environmental crises as today's before. Nonetheless, they are deeply and widely expanding the horizon of human-oriented modern education by concerning about the pollution of civilization, and suggesting the principles of inactivity in details from the viewpoint of 'unity between human and nature' to allow human beings return to nature.