The Dilemma of Officials Absorbing Western Learning and Its Impact in the Period of Westernization Movement:A Further Study of the Controversy over the Establishment of the Astronomy and Arithmetic Department
In 1867,the Astronomy and Arithmetic Department was established in the Imperial Translators'College.In the ensuing debate,both parties involved in the debate put forward the question of whether officials could absorb Western learning.Should an official be a moral model or a person with a skill?Should the country be governed by morality or technology?These were new issues raised in the transformation from the weak government to the strong government in modern times,and they were also the focus of disputes between Wo Ren and Yi Xin.The faction of Wo Ren did not object to the cultivation of professional talents(craftsmen)with Western learning,but firmly opposed the study of astronomy and mathematics by people who passed the imperial examination.His continuous attention and high sensitivity to official morality had its value.But only paying attention to self-cultivation without understanding government affairs and current affairs was the plight of Wo Ren's faction.Yi Xin and other officials had promoted the study of Western learning,but he didn't understand the boundary between Confucians and officials.The elucidation of the relationship between craftsmen,Confucians and officials in this debate was remarkable.This debate showed the modern tendency of scholars,and provided the opportunity to re-consider the criteria for the selection and training of officials.
The Imperial Translators'CollegeThe Astronomy and Arithmetic DepartmentWo RenYi XinWesternization Movement
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