Part II education Confucianising High Technology

Successful education for the high technology future requires rediscovery of the neglected classical virtues rather than an innovation which emphasises anything new, or indeed anything relatively recent, in education reform.

The global pace in high tech is set by the three dynamos of East Asia: Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. The Japanese, as we know, are deeply involved in all aspects of high tech computer work; the Taiwanese in robotics and the South Koreans in the computer chip area.

The paradox of the education systems of the three dynamos is that they are highly traditional, one might almost say antique, and highly influenced by the Confucian tradition.

The paradox is resolved in the unchanging nature of man. Over the centuries, the machines will change but the man operating them remains essentially the same. Thus, the prescripts of a Chinese sage¹ who walked the Earth some thousands of years ago can equip a modern society with the skills necessary to deal with the challenges of artificial intelligence, new generations of computers, robotics, etc.

To deal effectively with the challenges of rapidly changing technology, one has to be innovative, flexible and adaptive. Yet, if the education system is innovative, flexible and adaptive, the student comes out frequently incompetent and unsure when dealing with anything of substance.

This is because innovation and flexibility have to be built on a foundation of good educational habits and intellectual and personal skills. These habits are best acquired within a fairly rigid system and include discipline, a willingness to tackle what is not immediately interesting, the special habit of hard work, an ability to concentrate for long periods, an ability to deal effectively with competition, to perform under pressure and attention to specifics and to detail. The mental skills also remain: the ability to think clearly and a mastery of language and numbers.

A foolish notion has arisen that as technology progresses man will need and want to work less, with machines doing the work for him. This is a mistaken assumption. When man progressed from subsistence to having a surplus of wealth, he did indeed need to work less to survive. But man is man. He will always want to extend and test himself, to compete with other men, to be the best. This is as true in the field of high technology as in any other.

The best brains of the 22^nd century will be as restless and active as those of today and the most effective industrialists will still be workaholics, aiming to get the price down and the production run up to get control of a sector of the market that their competitors now have.

A Confucian education system will be well adapted to this task.

Comprehension and discussion:

1. What does successful education require?

2. What is the paradox of the education systems of the three Asian dynamos?

3. How is this paradox resolved?

4. What combination of skills and habits is necessary to deal effectively with the challenges of the 21^st century?

5. How can these habits be best acquired?

6. Will people work less in the future? Why?

7. How can you assess the Russian system of education? Does it equip pupils with the necessary skills?

8. How can the Russian system of education be improved?

PART III

EMPLOYMENT