Our use of the material world: the concept of frugality in the Chinese cultural tradition and its educational relevance for today

In recent times, humans have abandoned aspects of the ancient wisdom that has sustained us for thousands of years. Frugality, a traditional virtue of the Chinese people, is a proactive choice grounded in moral reasoning. Frugality represents the unity of ‘restraint in desire’ and ‘moderation in use’; both are best understood as lived expressions of phronesis (practical wisdom), a culturally embedded, teachable orientation that integrates ethical reasoning with context-sensitive judgement. In educating children, ‘proactive frugality’ manifests primarily as ‘valuing objects’, demonstrating distinct advantages in values education, moral habit formation, moral willpower training and ethical education. Passing on this educational wisdom can provide culturally rooted Chinese insights to address educational challenges arising from a consumer society. Given rapid increases in the demands that humans are placing on the natural world, a recovery of the practice of frugality would also help usher in a more sustainable society.