Two interesting things happen in the second chapter of the Ethics of our Fathers: 1: The Ethics stops telling us that each Rabbi it quotes received the oral tradition from the previous rabbi (unlike chapter 1 which emphasizes who each rabbi received the oral tradition from). 2. Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakay asks his students to offer their own insight (unlike chapter 1 where the teacher is the one doing all the talking).
Perhaps these two are related. After the period of Shammay and Hillel many disagreements broke out amongst the Rabbis. The reason for all the disagreement was that post Shammay and Hillel some of the oral tradition was lost, thus many points needed to be decided through using logic (obviously based on the principles of the oral tradition) rather than through tradition alone.
That is why Rabbi Yochanan turns to his students, because while tradition comes from the previous generation, insight comes from your students.
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It also goes out of order a little bit. The Perek starts with Rebbi and then doubles back to Hillel and Shammai and continues.
Interesting how the first Perek is only quoting the AB"D and the Nosi and then later we let everybody in.
The Maharal writes about the order at length.
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