From Faith Substitution to Personality Cultivation: The Philosophical Path and Educational Practice of Cai Yuanpei's Aesthetic Education Thought

As a foundational theory in the development of modern Chinese educational philosophy, Cai Yuanpei’s doctrine of “replacing religion with aesthetic education,” formulated within a specific socio-historical context, continues to hold significant theoretical and practical value today. This study takes Cai Yuanpei’s theory as its point of departure, offering an interdisciplinary exploration of the theoretical construction of his educational philosophy. Specifically, it first deconstructs the complex historical conditions that gave rise to the theory—conditions shaped both by the urgent realities of national crises during the late Qing and early Republican periods and by the cross-cultural integration of Western positivist philosophy with traditional Chinese aesthetic thought. It then analyzes the theory’s three core philosophical dimensions—“unity of form and meaning,” “morality as the foundation,” and “integration of knowledge and practice”—to reveal its vision of educational ethics that transcend instrumental rationality. Finally, by connecting the theory to contemporary demands for reconstructing spiritual beliefs and transforming quality education, this paper demonstrates its practical relevance in addressing value nihilism and enhancing aesthetic education, thereby providing a historical reference for the localized innovation of modern educational philosophy.