M & D FORUM

The Research on the Ecological Morality Education of Universities in the Concept of Holistic Education ZHAO Rong*, JIANG Jianping Hohai University, Changzhou Campus, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China, 213022 [email protected] Abstract: Holistic education is in pursuit of "human free and comprehensive development" for the ultimate goal of education. The ecological morality education is an important part of Holistic education. The ecological crisis, which is caused by the development of Modern industrial society, has contributed to the rise of ecological morality education. Construction of ecological morality education in universities, guide contemporary college students set up the correct view of nature, of consumption, of technology and of development and cultivate an "ecological citizens" of ecological personality, has become the inevitable requirement of social sustainable development, constructing moral education in universities and all-round development of college students themselves. Keywords: Holistic education, The comprehensive development, Ecological morality education

1 Foreword Holistic education pursues the development of “Totaler Menschen” from holism and systematology. In holistic education, importance is attached to acquire the eco-morality education for coexistence, of which value orientation is to seek after the harmony between man and nature by taking the natural world as the mankind’s symbiotic partner, establish college students’ correct view of the world, outlook on life and values and train the “eco-citizens” with integrative thinking so as to achieve the sustainable development of society.

2 Concept of Holistic Education Holistic education is a kind of new trend in the development of contemporary education. It lays stress on the interpretation and propagation of the intrinsic value of education for the purpose of training the so-called “total men”, that is, highlighting the harmonious development between man and nature, man and man, man and society by being oriented to human free, harmonious and integral development. It is aimed at nurturing the well-informed, refined and reasonable “Totaler Menschen” with perfect personality and comprehensive knowledge system, who receive the integrated development. This concept reflects the essence of Marxist theory about man’s integrated development and maintains the internal consistency with the free, harmonious and all-round human development. In the 1960s and 1970s, holistic education, a kind of educational thought for “constructive postmodernism” strongly characteristic of criticism, emerged in the United States. In this period, people began to reflect on the negative impact of “man’s materialization” arising out of utility of industrial civilization and technical rationality as well as educationally unilateral trend, which made some radical educators advocated the construction of educational theory by proceeding from human-oriented thought, which is aimed at “human integral development”. American scholar R. Miller systematically elaborated this theory and formally called it holistic education. This educational thought, in addition to regarding education from the holism of the earth, and pursuing the harmony among nature, society and man, taps man’s potential and attaches importance to the relationship between human integrated development and the natural world as well as spiritual value so as to gain the individual’s recognition of life and find out the true meaning of life. In June 1990, 80 scholars of holistic education including R. Miller and Philip. G assembled in Chicago and signed the famous “Declaration of Holistic Education” – “The Education in 2000: A View of

402

M & D FORUM Holistic Education”. From then on, the thought of holistic education was widely circulated, resulting in a worldwide movement of holistic education. “Declaration of Holistic Education” established 10 principles of holistic education, that is, education for human development; appreciation of each student’s characteristics; emphasis on man’s life history; practice of holistic education; educators’ new roles, students’ freedom in selection of profession, disciplines and learning process; embodiment of cooperative and democratic awareness; cultivation of earthlings, training of people with the awareness of eco-environmental protection; stress on spiritual education.

3 Value Appeal of Colleges and Universities for Eco-Morality Education With holism philosophy, externalism philosophy and deep ecology as the theoretical basis, holistic education attaches importance to the education of eco-morality and eco-personality for students while paying attention to the global-centered eco-education. The so-called eco-morality education means the education of the related theoretical perspectives formed by ecological moral behavior and moral character. What it inherits is the expression of ecological ethics and values needed in the mainstream society. The ecological ethics and values can guide human behavior, so eco-morality education is also the core tasks and value appeal of higher education in different countries. 3.1 The demand for construction of eco-civilization and compliance with scientific outlook on development Serious damages to the ecological environment aroused people’s self-reflection and rescue action on human civilization, under which China formed and carried out the scientific outlook on development. Scientific outlook on development is to adhere to the outlook on people-oriented, comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development. In the report of the 18th CPC National Congress, such an outlook was formally included in the Party’s guiding thought and the five-in-one entire distribution involving economic, political, cultural, and social and eco-civilization construction was required to be carried out. Under the new situation, this strategic policy must also be implemented in university education to work hard at training and providing a large number of eco-citizens with new “ecological personality” for the society. Eco-morality education enables contemporary college students to become practitioners and impellers of ecological civilization and scientific development view by forming a correct outlook on nature and development, developing a strong awareness of ecological moral concern, obtaining the environmental knowledge related to their majors and lifestyle, standardizing their own environmental behavior and improving ecological moral cultivation. 3.2 The demand for infiltration of moral education in eco-morality education of colleges and universities Considering the deterioration of the ecological environment influences the development of modern education, moral education should come first in the education-based situation. One of the important tasks of moral education in the contemporary colleges and universities is to help students form the moral idea and ethical quality in conformity with the specific requirements of the times. In face of the environmental problems and “human alienation” caused by the adverse impact of industrial society and technology, it has become the very urgent requirements for moral education in colleges and universities to initiate and infiltrate the eco-morality outlook, which must also give rise to the new development of moral principles, ideas and requirements in the content of moral education in colleges and universities. In eco-morality education in colleges and universities, we should proceed from the relation between man and nature and guide students to establish the concept of maintaining the harmony between man and nature, as well as caring for, respecting and protecting nature. We should, while thinking highly of social responsibility and social practice ability, consciously resist against the misconduct of endangering the eco-environment and maintain the ecological balance. This is the moral response to the substantial change of the current society, political and economic society, as well as the objective requirement for the

403

M & D FORUM service of university moral education to national politics and economic life. 3.3 The demand for contemporary college students’ improvement of moral quality and integrated development Human integrated and free development is deemed as the maximum value and ideal of social development and human self-development, which is the ultimate aim of education. The contemporary college students should not only have profound knowledge and solid cultural foundation to respond to the needs of future career development, but also establish their own concept of collectivism, strong sense of social responsibility and sense of historical mission, have the ideas of getting rid of self-centeredness and be provided with the broad ecological bosom of caring for life and nature. After receiving eco-morality education, the contemporary college students should consciously take moral responsibility for the natural environment and improve the ecological moral personality to finally achieve their own personality perfection and integrated development.

4 Establishment of University Eco-Morality Education in the Concept of Holistic Education Eco-morality education is one of the important objectives for holistic education. The eco-morality education in colleges and universities is to teach ecological knowledge by grasping the ecological law and improving college students' awareness of ecological morality to enable them to consciously maintain ecological balance with moral conception, that is, promote the maintenance of ecological environment to the height of measuring individual’s moral level. Closely centering on maintaining ecological balance, cherishing resources and protecting environment, it combines moralization with real life, being able to reflect not only the moral and ethical relationship between man and nature, but also the ethical requirements for man and society, man and man. In addition to being the inevitable product of the evolution of human morality, it is an important symbol for the advancement of human society towards civilization. It is the important yardstick of measuring a man’s comprehensive quality in the modern society whether to have the awareness of good ecological morality. 4.1 Fostering college students’ conception of nature for “unity of nature and man” Eco-morality education broke the limitations of traditional “interpersonal morality education” to adjust the relationship between man and man, man and collective, man and society and extended the range of moral concern and regulation to the entire ecosystem. Therefore, the eco-morality education in colleges and universities should propagate the natural view of “unity of nature and man” among college students and make them understand human being, an integral part of nature, should respect and care for the nature world, develop harmoniously with nature and benefit each other. The nature has its own values and rights. "The rights of nature also called ecological rights means the rights of all animate and inanimate species in the nature.” [1] As regulated in the ecological laws, any living things and the inanimate have the obligations besides the existence rights. Both natural rights and natural values indicate that we should correctly understand the dialectical relationship between man and nature. We must bear the duties and responsibilities for protection of the nature while having the rights and freedom to transform it. So, adhering to the "human-centrism" ethical criticism, we must respect the value for the existence of the natural environment and treat all living things with a humanitarian stance and moral emotion. In the process of develop, utilizing and transforming the nature, we must follow the objective law and advocate the active transformation and utilization of the nature on the basis of loving, respecting and protecting the nature and maintaining the ecological balance. 4.2 Fostering college students’ consumption view that “enough is enough” The damage to the ecological environment is closely related to human lifestyles and consumption patterns. The imperfect market economy caused the formation of the materialistic consumer society and 404

M & D FORUM the money-oriented commodity values. “Industrialism materializes human subjectivity and empty human subject consciousness so as to make commodity fetishism prevalent in the various areas of life." [2] This consumption pattern unstabilizes human mind and immerse people in the pictorial materialistic world. In such a case, the nature suffers exhaustive exploitation and the ecological environment meets with ruthless damage. Human nature is stripped from people in the excessive enjoyment of the material. The consumption view of society is imperceptibly influencing the contemporary college students’ consumption behavior. “Holistic education more profoundly criticizes the human alienation, excessive competition, violence, consumerism and materialism in the industrialized society with ecological world outlook as the theoretical weapon.” [3] As a special consumer group, college students should actively be trained in the university eco-morality education to have a consumption concept conducive to objective world and virtuous cycle of nature and advocate the consumption view that “enough is enough”, that is, green consumption and resources conservation; refuse sorting and environmental handling; pollution reduction and environmental-friendly purchasing; re-use and recycling; species treasuring and nature protection. On guiding students to follow the principles of moderate consumption, spirit consumption and ecological consumption, we should teach them how to proceed from the side and little things and establish the green behavior pattern of virtuous cycle. 4.3 Fostering college students’ correct values of science and technology The college students who live during the continuous development of science and technology deeply feel the value of science and technology and the change of production mode, lifestyle and thinking mode therefrom. They sincerely admire and praise the infinite power of science and technology. However, science and technology is also a two-edged sword when it brings benefit to human society. With the economic and social advance, it also shows the incoordination with social development, namely, eco-environment deterioration, population explosion, resource depletion, greenhouse effect, land desertification ……therefore, the eco-morality education in colleges and universities should correctly acquaint college students with the values of science and technology and establish the correct values of science and technology for sustainable development. On the one hand, it is the basis and prerequisite of establishing the good values of science and technology to educate college students to raise the recognition on the facts of science and technology, including the mastery of scientific and technological knowledge and methods, the awareness of sci-tech history and its status as well as the understanding of sci-tech thought and spirit. We should foster college students’ scientific spirit of advocating truth, seeking truth from facts, being bold in exploration and innovation as well as their noble feelings in loving and contributing to science and technology; on the other, college students should be educated to strengthen the standard of sci-tech ethical value. Modern science and technology can benefit mankind, but can harm or even destroy it. On making use of technology, we should vigorously promote ethical standards, strengthen moral evaluation and put the operating system of science and technology into strict and effective moral guidance and control, which can contribute to the sustainable development of human society. 4.4 Fostering college students’ outlook on integrated, coordinated and sustainable development The outlook on integrated, coordinated and sustainable development is a kind of development conception and a kind of development theory besides a kind of development pattern and a kind of development strategy. As indicated by the 42nd UN Assembly in 1987, the development of future society should “not endanger the descendants’ ability of meeting their needs while satisfying the contemporary people’s needs.” It is the new embodiment of higher education in promoting human integrated development in the new period to foster contemporary college students’ outlook on sustainable development. They should be guided to foster the ecological unity awareness, justice awareness and survival awareness while establishing the new concept of “eco-productivity” to scientifically know man’s status in nature. They should lay the cognition of relationship between man and nature and their practice on the basis of sustainable development strategy and have a clear understanding of the

405

M & D FORUM systematicness and integrity of the global environment on which human being survives, so as to correctly recognize the role and effect of man and nature in the interactive process. In the eco-morality education, we should make efforts to enhance college students’ own overall quality in an all-round way and fully tap their own potential factors conducive to development, which enables young college students to receive sustainable development and to contribute to the sustainable development of the society.

5 Conclusion Eco-morality education, the necessary condition for achieving sustainable development of the society, has become an integral part of holistic education. We must strengthen the eco-morality education in colleges and universities and show it in the presence of college students in a new, systematic and open way to foster their correct view of nature, consumption, science and technology as well as sustainable development so as to promote the effective combination of sustainable development of human society and eco-morality education with college students’ free and integrated development. Acknowledgements: This paper is the research result of sub-subject under “Comparative Study on General Education of Sino-American Research Universities” (No. C-a/2011/01/02), the project mainly supported in the “12th Five-Year” Plan for educational science of Jiangsu in 2011; the phasic research result of “Comparative Study on Enterprise-Education-Based Training Mode of Sino-American University Top-notch Innovative Personnel in Sino-American Universities” (No. KT20111822010), the project in the “12th Five-Year” Plan of Jiangsu Higher Education Association in 2011; the phasic research result of the project of Hohai University under Ministry of Education on basic research funding of Chinese central universities (No. 2012B14114).

References [1]. Chunyuan Liu. Thinking of ecological moral education in universities under the perspective of ecological civilization, Ideological and Political Education Research, Vol.25 No.6, P99-101, Dec. 2009 [2]. Rengping. The contemporary view of Marx, Jiangsu people's publishing house, P375, 2008 [3]. Anbang Xie, Donghai Zhang. The theory and practice of Holistic education, East China normal university press, P138, 2011

406