ERIC Number: ED430796
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1999-Mar
Pages: 15
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Taoism and Its Implications for Science Education.
Hua, Hsiao-Peng; Chang, Chun-Yen; MacRaven, Maggie Maeve
As one of the major schools of thought in ancient China, Taoism centers on the concept of "Tao", the Way, which has two distinct characteristics: (1) Tao itself can be deemed as a final "reality" that is equivalent to the ontology of the Universe; and (2) Tao itself cannot be defined directly by human language. Taoism posits a holistically cosmological view on the universe as an organic Whole and illuminates that there is always a tendency to establish a dynamic balance within the Universe. Based on these characteristics and the belief that, to a certain degree, relationships exist between Taoism, modern science, and the contemporary environmental crisis, this paper attempts to render a number of implications for science education including: (1) providing a philosophical ground to loosen the tension resulting from current arguments on science education research in the postmodern era; (2) setting an alternative possibility for developing science curricula; and (3) serving as a practical ideology for self-reflection on science teaching. (Contains 22 references.) (Author/NB)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (Boston, MA, March 28-31, 1999).