The Will to Power and Fukuzawa Yukichi’s Philosophy of Education

Abstract

Educational philosophy of Fukuzawa Yukichi is a new fundamental knowledge in Japan. It argues the will to power of Confucius in Japanese society. This article aims to provides Fukuzawa’s educational method related to pragmatism. Fukuzawa’s method can be distinguished in terms of educational paradigm into two categories such as 1) real learning, which is to achieve to enhancie the wisdom of learners based on freedom and independence, and 2) false learning, which is to achieve to train slaves for serving the state power or master but not to enhance the wisdom of learners. Recently, Fukuzawa’s view points have broken the old education system under the Confucius paradigm and brought Japan toward a new paradigm of modern education open to Western philosophy and sciences with the aim to develop Japanese people and society.