Therefore, Hsun Tzu's viewpoints are more attuned to the current world, and Seneca's viewpoints would not be practical in the current world.
Applicability in today's world
The scholar whose assessments would be most applicable in the current world is Hsun Tzu. This is because individuals need to be educated in different fields and not just concentrate in their chosen career paths. The current job markets require employees to be well versed on different subjects and have different skills. Without formal education in different fields, an employee would find it very difficult to fit in at the workplace. Hsun Tzu also states that the people a person associates with will have an impact on their life. He says that mixing white sand with mud, the sand will turn black. What this means is that any virtuous student hanging around unsavory characters, will eventually lead the student to become degraded.
Things will always happen whether an individual knows about them or not, but to know why certain things are happening would help the individual to understand what caused them. While Seneca says it is of no use to study why certain things take place, Hsun Tzu believes one should study and understand this phenomenon.
It is true that in order to achieve success an individual will have to work hard. Without hard work, one cannot succeed. Hsun Tzu supports this statement using several of his metaphors. He believes that a person's natural ability will not lead them success, but studying and working hard will surely determine success. No matter how smart a person is they will need to work hard for them to succeed in education. If a...
This applies to smart students.
There is so much cut throat competition, and an individual cannot merely be dependent on their natural abilities in order for them to succeed. They will be forced to study new subjects and work even harder than before if they are to compete successfully. Though Hsun Tzu's assessment was in the previous times, these assessments can be used currently because they are more thoughtful and they conform to today's situations. These assessments are also persuasive in that looking at the example of earthworm which has no claws, but because of their determination and focus they are able to feast in mud. This indicates that if a person is focused and concentrates on one thing (education), they can be assured of great success.
Conclusion
The most relevant scholar of the two is clearly Hsun Tzu. This is because of his assessments that an individual needs to learn about anything and everything. This studying would prepare the person and would keep them busy so they would achieve virtuousness. Education in general is currently not geared towards achieving virtuousness, but the studying of different subjects and not just subjects leading to specific careers will develop a student's mind and prepare them well. The general subjects will mostly come in handy when the individual is faced with certain challenges outside the scope of their career. Without the general knowledge, one would not manage to handle whichever obstacle they face. This is why it is vital that students are taught different subjects whether they will use them or not.
