《莊子》與大學通識教育

Learning as a Master from a Master: 'Chuang Tzu' in University General Education

本文主旨在於探討《莊子》這部經典對大學通識教育之啟示。教育之目的為傳達過去之經驗。但《莊子》書中的「輪扁」質疑這種可能性，輪扁認為言語不能表達經驗。如果言語不能表現經驗，則言語就要成為不可言，也就是自相矛盾而成為以「沈默無言」表達不可言喻的經驗。這種所謂「不言之言」是一種以沈默激發領悟的教育方式。這是一種沈默的對話，如「齧缺」與「王倪」以及「瞿鵲子」與「長梧子」的對話，都屬這種類型。在這種對談之中，對談者以及所談的題材完全融合為一。這種奇異的對話方式可以表現為一種夢境。在夢境中對話者及其題材可以互換而融合無間。雙方所談的題材即是經驗。在這種言語及沈默的互換融合之中，經驗由一世代傳到另一世代，猶如「火」從一「薪」傳到另一「薪」。莊子的思想傳統，對於上述各點都對我們有深刻的啟示。

1. Education is transmission of past experience (tradition). But this is impossible, for experience cannot be transmitted by words, says Mr. Wheelwright in Chuang Tzu's story. 2. Words cannot express experience. So, words become inexpressible, self-subversive, self-incoherent, self-effacing, that is, 'silent,' to convey the inexpressible. How? 3. Such verbal inexpressivity evokes in silence. This amounts to a dialogue with silence, Mr. Chew Chipped with Mr. Royal Horizon, Jittery Magpie with Mr. Tall Tree. 4. Here the subjects talking intermesh with the objects talked-to and the subject matter talked-about. Such a strange dialogue ends up with a talk on a dream where the very subjects interchange, and interchange with the subject matters. 5. The subject matters are precisely the experience to be transmitted. 6. Therefore in the dialogues between words and silence, the 'fire' of experience transmits from one 'log' of generation to another. In fact, we have just inherited the Chuang Tzu tradition. For all this is what Chuang Tzu proposed.