Education is the greatest wealth that an individual can ever posses and obtain. Without education one cannot amount to anything. This order analyses two scholars Hsun Tzu, and Seneca on their different viewpoints in regards to education. While Hsun Tzu is of the opinion that all subjects should be taught, Seneca believes that a student should concentrate on the subjects they are interested in pursuing.
Hsun Tzu and Seneca on Education
The greatest wealth that an individual can ever posses and obtain is education. Education begins from the time a person is born and continues throughout their life till they pass away. There have been many theories that were created by different scholars regarding education, and each scholar had their own unique viewpoint and definition. These viewpoints were mainly derived from the way the scholar was educated, and the opinions they formulated based on their education.
Hsun Tzu is of the opinion that an individual should learn about anything and everything. This education about everything will help the individual be more informed about the happenings around them and in the world. For Hsun Tzu, education is mainly for the purpose of attaining virtuousness. Looking at the world we live in currently, an individual who is educated in many aspects is better at adapting to the continuous changes either in the workplace or in life.
In contrast, Seneca does not see why a person should spend countless hours studying about things that will not provide them with a moral life. He believed that the main purpose of education should be to help a person lead a moral life. Therefore, for him education should only be concentrated on the subjects that a person is interested in as there was no need to study something that one will never need in their life. Seneca continues to say that he sees no purpose of studying if the main reason for this study is making money. This would not be applicable today as education is mainly for the purpose of attaining wealth. An individual who is not educated is least likely to amount to anything currently. Seneca believed only in the liberal studies, which mainly focused on history, language, or poetry. He believed that an individual who pursues liberal studies was not interested in any monetary gains like individuals who study geometry, or music. His main argument for liberal studies was that it would prepare an individual's mind for them to acquire moral values.
Hsun Tzu and Seneca believed that an individual should strive to live a virtuous life. They both had the same notion that certain subjects only made people believe they need to have a good life. Comparing to the current education systems, it is worth to note that people desire to live a good life, and the education system has been formulated with this in mind. Students have to undertake different subjects, which they may use or not use in their careers, but these subjects will definitely become handy at some point in their lives. Understanding music will allow a person to appreciate the different musicals that are performed and appreciate them more. It is vital to have a broad range of knowledge as one would never know when they might need this knowledge.
The two scholars are in agreement regarding how an individual becomes a true gentleman. Their agreement is that education will allow an individual to develop into a gentleman. The subjects the individual will have to undertake may be different, but their viewpoints are the same.
There are many game shows which require a person to have knowledge in various subjects. Assuming that some contestants had only concentrated on their career education and others had concentrated on many other subjects, it would be clear which contestants would win in the game show. 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 student does not study or do assignments given, they will definitely fail. This applies to smart students.
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