ABSTRACT
Music education has largely drawn on Western conceptions of creativities, such as Cartesian-Kantian philosophies. Relatively few writers have mined Asian thought, such as Confucian philosophy. The purpose of this philosophical chapter is to examine creativities from a Confucian perspective, focusing in particular on how they relate to traditions. The research questions are given as follows: (1) what is the relationship between creativities and traditions according to Confucian philosophy? (2) Based on the analysis, what are some insights for music education? To address these questions, we examine key passages from the Analects, focusing, in particular, on passages (e.g., 2.11 and 7.1) that allude to the old (gu 古; 故) and the new (xin 新). To augment our reading of these key passages, we draw on scholarly commentaries (written in both English and Chinese) from leading Asian and Western scholars.
Our philosophical investigation unveils a view of creativities whereby the old and the new are not antagonistic; on the contrary, the old is continually rendered afresh in a metaphysical worldview of constant change. Furthermore, the Confucian notion of creativities appears rather different from the Kantian notion of genius. This chapter hopes to contribute fresh perspectives to creativities in music education by bringing in the Asian philosophical voice; it also hopes to promote cross-cultural dialogue so crucial in this present inter-connected world.
