The Great Learning portrays education as a disciplined path of moral cultivation rather than a mere accumulation of information. Learning is directed toward manifesting one’s “bright virtue,” renewing oneself, and ultimately bringing peace to the people. It presents a structured sequence in which understanding principles through study must lead to the transformation of character and conduct. Knowledge that does not reshape intention, emotion, and behavior is treated as incomplete, for the text insists on the unity of knowing and doing. Education is therefore both intellectual and ethical, ordered toward the realization of inner clarity and outer harmony.

At the heart of this vision stands a famous progression: investigation of things, extension of knowledge, sincerity of intention, rectification of the mind or heart, cultivation of the person, regulation of the family, ordering the state, and bringing peace to all under Heaven. Learning begins with careful inquiry into the world and its principles, so that understanding becomes genuine rather than superficial. From this deepened knowledge arises sincerity, as thoughts and intentions are aligned with what has been grasped. Sincerity then allows the mind to be rectified, freeing it from confusion and disorder. A rectified mind becomes the basis for personal cultivation, where virtues are steadily formed and refined.

This inner work does not remain confined to the individual. The cultivated person is seen as capable of regulating the family, establishing harmony and proper conduct in the most intimate sphere of life. A well-ordered family, in turn, becomes the seedbed for effective governance, since only those who have disciplined themselves are fit to guide others. Good government and social harmony are thus traced back to the proper education and self-discipline of individuals, especially those in positions of authority. The peace of “all under Heaven” is envisioned as the natural outflow of this layered process of learning that radiates outward from the self.

The Great Learning also stresses that this path is gradual and lifelong, requiring constant reflection and vigilance even in solitude. Learning is portrayed as a continuous renewal, both of oneself and of the people, rather than a goal that can be checked off and set aside. Self-examination, the testing of one’s motives, and the steady application of insight to daily conduct are integral to this journey. In this way, education becomes a living practice: a ceaseless effort to embody understanding in action, so that inner virtue and outer order mutually reinforce one another.