The Elevation Effect of "History and Methodology of Mechanics" on "General Education in Mechanics"

In order to analyze the role of the history and the methodology of mechanics for the general education of mechanics, section 1 uses Cao Xueqin’s phrase, “A favorable wind lends me power to soar into the blue sky," as an analogy but finds it inadequate. Subsequently, the author thought: Li Bai’s verse, “One day the great roc soars with the wind, it straight ascending up to ninety thousand miles". Thus, it is established: “General Education of the Mechanics" is likened to the “Great roc.", but “History of Mechanics and Methodology" is metaphorized as the “Mighty Wind”. The entire paper, spanning the subsequent five sections, elaborates on this pair of metaphors:Section 2 reviews the brief evolutionary history of general “liberal education" as a “flock of great rocs." The two English concepts, Liberal Education and General Education, have been translated into four distinct terms in the Chinese context: Education of Free Choice, Broad and Refined Education, Broadly Defined Education and General Cognitive Education. Section 3 analyzes the three essential characteristics of General Education as a “flock of great rocs," namely knowledge, ability, and quality, which can also be referred to as the three fundamental aspects of liberal education.Section 4 discusses why “General Education of the Mechanics" is one of the rocs in this flock. Section 5 elaborates on how “history and methodology of mechanics" serves as the mighty wind that enables the mechanics roc to soar high. Section 6 points out the current phenomenon of the mechanics roc hovering at a low altitude and reveals strategies to break through this state, allowing it to spread its wings and soar. This entails effectively harnessing the “history and methodology of mechanics" as the powerful wind. Section 7, as the conclusion, calls on everyone to raise the application of history and methodology of mechanics from spontaneous state to conscious realm, and to broaden the focus of attention.