ABSTRACT
Wang Yangming 王陽明, also known as Wang Shouren 王守仁 (1472-1529), is one of the most innovative and influential thinkers in the Confucian philosophical traditions. A scholar-official in the Ming dynasty, Wang’s original insights challenged the established neo-Confucian views and transformed the intellectual scene in East Asia. This chapter explores his philosophical ideas with respect to Environmental Education (EE). EE, in simple terms, focuses on humans’ relationship with and their protection of the natural environment. EE is promoted in many schools today through an array of programmes, courses and activities. A prerequisite to a successful enactment of EE is an awareness of the place of human beings in the ecosystem and their obligations to it. Among the Confucian philosophers, Wang Yangming has much to say about the relation between humans and the natural environment. This chapter explains how Wang rejects instrumentalism and anthropocentrism that dominate the current approaches to EE. He teaches oneness with nature, innate knowledge and the unity of knowledge and action.
