世俗時代的價值轉型－－以晚清中國道德變革為中心的考察

The Transformation of Values in A Secular Age:A Study on Moral Transformation in the Late Qing

古代中國的儒家道德價值，建立在一個具有超越性的「天命」、「天道」與「天理」的宇宙觀之上。在「天」的統攝之下，自我、社會與宇宙共同構建起一個統一的、有意義的德性世界。然而，19 世紀中後期以來，晚清中國開始面對一個「三千年未有之大變局」。傳統的目的論宇宙觀（天理）逐步被現代自然科學觀，特別是晚清以來興起的達爾文進化論所瓦解。代之而起的，是一個由因果關係支配的、機械論的宇宙觀（公理）。從此，世間萬物的價值與意義，不再像以前一樣具有道德（或宗教）的超越性，而必須藉助一套可以為人們所認知和掌握的邏輯規範，通過屬人的理性實踐來予以證明。這一歷史過程，正是馬克斯．韋伯（Max Weber）所說的「祛魅」（Disenchantment），也是前現代社會走向世俗化的重要標誌。本文從世俗化這一視角，考察清末知識階層的價值轉型與道德實踐。一方面，晚清的公理世界觀不再像傳統的天理世界觀那樣，以高於人的超越方式存在，而是成為日漸自主的個人自我立法的產物；另一方面，公理又以天理的替代品的形式存在著。公理之「理」繼承了「天理」之「理」的基本品格，「公」則成為對「天」的替代。因此，「公理」在晚清既具有義理和規範的價值，又因為與道德的關聯而內涵倫理的縱深。在超越價值日漸衰微的世俗時代里，晚清的道德觀念呈現出一種內在的緊張：就前一方面而言，晚清覺醒的「個人」，率先對天理世界觀之下的儒家規範倫理（「禮」）開火。就後一方面而言，在公理世界觀之下，傳統的「德性之善」的色彩雖然明顯減弱，但是「沖決網羅」的個人依然具有公共的德性之善， 依然有著成為「好人」（ 君子之德） 的德性倫理（「仁」）。公理世界觀之下的道德觀，既構成晚清倫理和精神世界的底色，也為之後五四的道德革命與道德重建埋下了伏筆。

Higher education plays an important role in the transformation of not only cultural but also social and political institutions in the modernization process of modern China. Using Guangdong as a case, this study intends to explore the ways and process of introducing western mode of university into China. At the beginning of the last decade of the Qing dynasty, the shortage of funding for higher education rendered a volatile situation in which the schools had difficulties to maintain a regular size of school and number of students. Moreover, the anxiety to learn from the West also put technology and engineering the first priority for the curriculum of the university which looks more likely that of technical schools. The modern mode of university which stressed research and comprehensive learning began only after the founding of Republic and Guangdong University was finally founded in 1924 after a lot of attempting improvement. Another focus of this study is about the role of politics during the establishment of the Guangdong University. Southwest University was first planned as the provincial university for Guangdong. But the plan was abandoned because of the confrontation among different cliques inside the Southern Government in Guangzhou. The university reform project sponsored by Chen Duxiu also came to an end after the power struggle between Sun Yat-sen and Chen Jiong-ming. Only when Sun Yat-sen regained power in Guangdong in 1924, the Guangdong University had the chance to start with his support. From historical perspective, the intervention of politics into education has very strong presence in modern China. Guangdong University is one of the strong case which, in fact, would find its way into the most part of the 1920s.