Recommendation Ⅱ
Of the Beaten Track: A Diferent Growth of Life

What is successful education? For me, it's about cultivating a student whom you admire. Yes, I use the word “admire.”

I choose this word not only as a teacher but also as a seeker of knowledge and truth. I am proud to have Zhang Shuoning as my student because never will I ever meet another student who tries to read Kant's Critique of Pure Reason in primary school and has such a deep affection for philosophy and thinking.

So I am sure you can understand what a great honor it is for me to write my very first preface for Shuoning's debut book.

“Hello Mr. Yu, I have written a book of my philosophical reflections in high school. Would you be interested in reading it and writing a preface to it?”

This is the message I got from Shuoning in March, 2022.

The shock I experienced when receiving that message was no less than if aliens had come to earth. Countless question went through my mind: how could a student who had not yet graduated from high school, in the midst of a hectic academic life, write a book, a purely philosophical book? How on earth did he do it?

But on second thought, Shuoning is like no other kids. I remembered him as a unique, deep-minded boy with disproportionate interest for his age in reading and reflection. Nothing would be impossible for him. Please forgive me for failing to think of anything that he might not have a chance at.

So, as his teacher, I feel great pleasure to see this book published.

As I read this book, my thoughts went back to an unforgettable moment in 2016 when we first met. I was reading in my office when a colleague found me and said, “Dr. Yu, a student in my class wrote an article about philosophy which I don't understand. Would you mind helping me a bit? Thanks a lot.” So I went to the colleague's office, found the article and read it.

The article on Kant's thoughts shocked my soul, to say it without exaggeration. One could, at such a young age (12, I believe, for he was in Grade 6 at that time), write about Kant ’ s philosophical ideas. What was I doing when I was twelve? Herding cows? Searching for snacks? Or simply wandering around doing nothing. What kind of superpower must he have to finish reading Kant's Critique of Pure Reason in elementary school?

Joyfully, I was led by my colleague to find Shuoning, a tall, thin and reserved boy with slightly curly hair, wearing a pair of black-framed glasses and speaking in a relatively low voice. He is exactly what people think a philosopher would look like. That's when I realized you could actually see wisdom from the one's look. My first words were “Shuoning, come to my philosophy Club!” As such, Shuoning became one of my students.

Then, Shuoning transferred to another prestigious school. He came to see me at school to say goodbye before he left. We talked for over an hour in my office about all sorts of things, from choices to aspirations, and from the universe to the social reality.

We took a special photo together in front of the school. And I couldn't help posting it on my social media, which I rarely do. Though we parted ways for a while, we remained teacher and student regardless of time and space,and we still kept close contact with each other. We shared philosophical articles with each other, talked about social changes, exchanged humanistic ideas, and had conversations about perplexities in life...

I remember inviting him to my house for the Spring Festival's feast one year. I asked him what books he had read and what kinds of new ideas and perspectives he had. After the conversation, I was pleased to find that Shuoning's love for philosophy had remained unchanged, which was rare.His thoughts about philosophy were much deeper and broader.

This book presents his philosophical reflections during his high school studies. It starts from the pattern of ethics and epistemology, and extends to the philosophy of science. It elaborates the thoughts of philosophers from Plato to Sandel, from Aristotle to Popper, and from Kant to Peirce,manifesting Shuoning's pursuits. We can see that the young man is trying to find a path of his own philosophy. Though some of the ideas in the book might not be subtle and objective enough, we should not demand perfection of this young man.

As an educator, it is my instinct to observe Shuoning as an excellent model for individual growth. I have often wondered: What made Zhang Shuoning who he was? What are some of the thoughts behind his upbringing that can inspire us in education today?

Undoubtedly, apart from the fact that he is gifted for philosophy, I believe that the most important thing is his education. He has been enjoying the diversified and flexible social environment, the strong support from parents, and the trust from teachers. Without the flexible environment,democratic education, and the trust, Zhang Shuoning would not grow into who he is today.

Although the world is developing rapidly, the tenets of education are simple: trust, flexibility, and democracy, along with discovery, guidance, and support. Yet, these seemingly simple tenets are quite hard to achieve. We should always ask ourselves in education practice: Are we doing the right thing to cultivate talents? How right are the education methods? Would the diamond in the rough be covered up in dirt if I didn't work hard enough?

Thinkers are vital for a nation, an era, and a society, and young people are our future. They need more encouragement, more support, more empathy,and more care.

I hope that the publication of this book is a wonderful start for Shuoning's philosophical musings and the accumulation of his ideas!

I hope that Shuoning will work towards the goal of fathoming his stars of thoughts into constellations. I hope that he could keep on learning, and come up with new philosophical thoughts!

Thanks for inviting me to preface this book!

Dr. Guozhi Yu
Political Science Teacher, Beijing High School
Rixin Zhai, Chaoyang District, Beijing
2022.5.22