Daoism offers new ways to think about AI in education
Alternative AI Philosophy: Daoism as Method for AI in Education
Computers and Society
Summary
AI is changing how teaching and learning happen, but most thinkers use Western ideas to understand it. This paper looks at Daoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy, to offer different ways of thinking about AI and education. Concepts like 'Dao nature' and 'self-cultivation' from Daoism can help rethink what knowledge and ethical action mean when AI is involved. This broadens the conversation by including non-Western perspectives on AI in education.
What this means in practice
- •For educational technology developers: Develop AI educational tools guided by Daoist ideas to create more balanced ethical and epistemic approaches in AI-driven learning.
- •For curriculum designers: Incorporate Daoist philosophies to craft curricula that address holistic learning goals in AI-augmented education environments.
A position paper. It proposes an approach and reports no results.
Authors
Qin Xie
Abstract
As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly iterates and transforms teaching, learning, and knowledge production, philosophical reflection has become increasingly indispensable to educational debates that remain predominantly shaped by Western intellectual traditions. This article proposes Daoism as an alternative philosophical framework for reimagining AI in education. Through philosophical analysis and textual interpretation of classical Daoist sources, brought into dialogue with contemporary scholarship on AI in education, it examines how the Daoist concepts of "Dao nature," "self-cultivation," and the "Zhenren" address fundamental questions concerning reality, the epistemic aims of education, and ethical action in the AI-mediated era. In doing so, the article diversifies the philosophical voices shaping inquiry into AI and education, enriching the field's conceptual resources for grappling with the philosophical questions AI raises for education and offering a genuinely pluralistic foundation for comparative philosophy of education in the AI era.