Abstract

Knowledge is the core of education, and different epistemological perspectives have significant implications for educational frameworks. In China, two major perspectives that have influenced education are mechanistic materialism epistemology and constructivist epistemology. The former asserts that knowledge originates solely from object stimuli on subjects, thereby possessing objectivity, purity, uniqueness, and truth. The latter argues that knowledge emerges from the interaction between subjects and objects mediated by activities (practice), with subjects playing a decisive role in the process of understanding. Thus, knowledge not only has objectivity but also subjectivity and contextuality. It is acquired and innate, individual and social, relative and absolute. The subversion of mechanistic materialism epistemology by constructivist epistemology has led to the reconstruction of educational perspectives, providing significant impetus for educational reforms, particularly in innovative education.