Motsu's View of Technology and
the Direction of Technology Education in 21st Century

Rho, Tae-Cheon(Prof. of CNU in Korea) / Kim, Choon-Gil(Prof. of KAIST in Korea)

 1. Introduction

           As scientific technology rapidly develops and has a stronger influence on society, we must duly recognize its characteristics and objectives, and establish new educational lines to educate technologically cultured person for the 21st century Information Age.  The Oriental view of technology has been less studied than in the West.  The cosmopolitan philosophy of technology education has developed, focusing mainly on the Western view of technology.

          Motsu, a Chinese philosopher, produced influential works and spoke for the subordinate classes.  He especially developed a theory of protective warfare and championed 'Peace without War.'  What can we learn from Motsu's view of technology, which puts emphasis on productive acts and practical techniques.  What of his points can we make use of for our own technology education  What are some important relationships between the Oriental view of technology and technology education  In order to answer these current questions regarding  technology education, I present some passages and stories of 『Motsu』,  written by Motsu or his disciples.

2. Experimental Technology Education

  In the age of the Warring States (770~221 B.C.), the Chinese philosopher Motsu (478~392 B.C.) was an engineer who made defensive weapons and most of his disciples were artisans who engaged in agriculture and handcraft. Motsu and his disciples spoke for people's economic profits and political standpoints.

  Motsu's philosophy is found in 『Motsu』, and there remain the records of his observations and the results of his experiments related with light and shadow, a pinhole, a concave mirror, a convex mirror, and a lever.

  Motsu understands the straightness of light through his scientific observations and experiments by using a pinhole. In Motsu he wrote of a phenomenon that there is a person's upside-down shadow on the opposite wall of the room because of the reflection of the sun, when he pierces a little hole on the wall towards the sun in a dark room and puts a person out of the house.  

  Motsu explains the difference of a flat mirror, a concave mirror, and a convex mirror experimentally. For example, he says that 'if a person looks down on the mirror, he can see his own upside-down image' and that 'in a convex mirror the image is small and upside-down or big and right'. And with the concave mirror he says that 'the closer the thing is to the (concave) mirror, the stronger the light is, so that the image becomes bigger and bigger.' These assertions by Motsu result from an elementary but proper experiments. 

  Motsus knew the basic principle of using a folding ladder as a weapon for attacking castles, and the balance of a lever and the buoyancy of a boat.

  Motsus found the basic principles of physical phenomenon through  observations and experiments on a pinhole, mirrors, a lever, and a boat. From Motsu's observations and experiments, we can learn the importance of experiment activities in teaching the technology courses.

3. Productive Technology Education

          Motsu, who knew how to make wagons and wooden kites, lived in a mud-wall hut, surviving wild spinach soup and bean leaves, eaten from an earthenware vessel, wearing hemp or leather clothes.  As shown in one record, one of Motsu's disciples still had calluses  on his hands and feet three years after he served Motsu.  Indeed, Motsu and his disciples themselves worked and practiced productive techniques. 

          Motsu claims that each person should find some means of living for themselves, and should also work for other people as well, no matter in which occupations they are engaged.  If people, including nobles of the Warring States, were expected to work according to their abilities, what should they do and how  Motsu said that the world would be peaceful when people followed occupations according to their abilities and interests, such as buring clayware, tanning leather, and making wagons, metal tools, and furniture for people's use.

          What kinds of vocational activities did Motsu regard as desirable Motsu regarded agricultural technology as the most important productive activity, as China was then an agricultural society.  He said that many farmers were needed to improve food production.  Motsu put emphasis on productive technology education, by working on agriculture by himself and advocating the spreading of agricultural techniques.

4. Practical Technology Education

      Motsu placed practicality as first of all the objectives of technology.  He criticized the situation in which ships and wagons, which were made to transport heavy loads, were being used for nobles of the Warring States and were thus decorated and embellished.  Thus, the common people lost valuable time in their livelihoods.  He showed some examples of sages of old or wise men who practiced every retrenchment and developed new techniques for daily necessities.  He, therefore, warned people not to produce or own too many items, such as: clothes, houses, clayware, furniture, wagons, ships, tools, weapons, etc.  He deplored the fact that nobles had their palaces built in a luxurious style, but paid no attention to castles or forts, a practice which would bring about disaster.  He blamed nobles for their luxurious life styles, such as looking for a more convenient life, a better design, more beautiful music, or more delicious dishes, though poor common people had to work harder than ever for those nobles.

          Motsu saw the objective of technology as the enlargement of common people's benefits and to save them hardships.  When Kong-Suvan, a weapon engineer of the same period as Motsu, after three years work, made a kite with shaved bamboo and wood, which successfully flew 3 days in the sky, Motsu esteemed it less than a wagon bolt because the 3-inch wagon bolt could make it possible to carry 3 ton load, though that special kite only excited nobles' interests and might be used for war.  If Motsu's concept is interpreted in modern terms, ships and motors are much more worthy than nuclear weapons or missiles.  As he says, without a doubt, technology education should be practical.

5. Peaceful Technology Education

          Motsu not only manufactured defensive military equipment, but he also endeavored to prevent wars.  He denied any justified doctrine or theory of war, by pleading, "Peace from power."  Motsu opposed even wars to castigate the unrighteous because wars destroyed common people's wealth, deprived them of time for agriculture which lead to poor productivity.  When one of his disciples three times invaded No-Dynasty, with a General of Je-Dynasty, Motsu called on the general to part with the disciple.

          Once the king of Choi-Dynasty intended to attack Song-Dynasty by having Kong-Suvan develop a portable suspension bridge, an advanced offensive equipment, which was designed to attack castles. It had 6 wheels, all sides surrounded with leather for protection, and an extended ladder to reach over a castle wall.  Motsu tried to dissuade the king from standing the war.  Motsu suggested that he and Kong-Suvan have a simulated battle on a table because Motsu had also developed methods to defend the castle from the attack bridge.  Motsu untied his belt which functioned as a castle and chose several pieces of wood as attack equipment.  Kong-Suvan  attacked the model castle, changing his strategies nine times, all of which failed because Motsu had better defensive strategies, and even one more than Kong-Suja‘s 9 strategies.  Kong-Suvan admitted his defeat and abandoned the idea of war against Song-Dynasty.

          As Motsu still worried that the king had not truly give up the war, and might try to kill him, he sent 300 of his disciples to Song-Dynasty, to defend the castle with his newly developed defensive weapons.  This episode shows that Motsu is like an engineer.  Motsu also developed tactics to hold in check ladder wagons, soldiers through tunnels, and gate breakers.  He enhanced the fort height and width, arranged soldiers at appropriate places, and prepared counterattacks with bows, stones, sand, ash, and fire.

          Motsu's  pacifism was practical.  He was an acting pacifist engineer and showed what attitudes engineers should have concerning war and weapon technology.  What we in the modern world need is technicians, active, practical, and pacific, as was Motsu.

6. Conclusion

          We have examined Motsu's Technology-Concepts and objectives, contents, and methods of technology education on the view point of it. According to the Motsu's Technology-Concepts, the object of technology education should be the practical use for common people; for effective technology education, practical experiences be needed; students and prospective technicians themselves need to experience experimental and productive activities.  Technology education also necessarily strives for peace.  Technologically educated man and woman should not only be functional, but are expected to contribute to world peace.  Experimentalism , productivity, practicality, and peace are fundamental in technology education.