Education for Creative Living: Ideas and Proposals of Tsunesaburo Makiguch [Hardcover]

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (Author), Dayle M. Bethel (Author), Alfred Birnbaum (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Japanese (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 227 pages
• Publisher: Iowa State Pr; 1st edition (November 30, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813803926
• ISBN-13: 978-0813803920
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #636,733 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wisdom from a Great Educator, March 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Education for Creative Living: Ideas and Proposals of Tsunesaburo Makiguch (Hardcover)

"Education for Creative Living" is a translation of position papers and notes, written over a thirty-year period and published in the early 1930s by Japanese educator Tsunesaburo Makiguchi.

Born in 1871, Mr. Makiguchi achieved his first success at the age of thirty with the publication of Geography of Human Life. He went on to establish the forerunner of Soka Gakkai in 1930. The Soka Gakkai International is now the largest Buddhist organization in the world, with over 12 million members in 128 nations.

Mr. Makiguchi believed that Japanese education, far from creating a democratic society of responsible, independent citizens, turned most youths into morally and socially irresponsible automatons. In fact, he blamed education for many social ills and agonized over the force-feeding of information to students. He professed that students must experience happiness, even at school, and that education should be relevant to their lives.

As the book outlines his inspiring philosophy and revolutionary proposals, one can well appreciate his basic argument that education ought to engage interest.

This translation is a joint effort by Dayle M. Bethel and Alfred Birnbaum. It has been called a milestone by concerned parents and educators and, as such, it seems appropriate for those nations in which social mores seem to be eroding, especially among the young.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone interested in education, April 24, 2001

By 

joe thrift (St. Helena, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Education for Creative Living: Ideas and Proposals of Tsunesaburo Makiguch (Hardcover)

With simplistic answers for our education problems' coming from our politicians, it is relief to find someone who has thoroughly thought through the education process.

Makiguchi asks the question seldom asked; what is our goal when educating a human being? His answer is someone who is happy. The kind of happiness that one can only achieve when they have realized the value of their own lives.

This book may be out of print , but I would highly recommend doing whatever you can to find a copy.

-Joe

[e-mail]