科技、文化與大學教育改革

Technological Development, Culture and University Education

在西方社會與思潮變遷影響之下，大學精神已經歷由理想轉為實證，再由實證轉向企管的變遷。在今天，所謂大學教育的「改革」，除了有「改善」(betterment)之意，因而需注重有效經營管理之外，也應具有理念「革新」或「革命」(revolution)的意涵，而後者應採原有的「再回轉」(re-volution)之意，重新返回本有文化中本具的優越精神。《禮記•大學》所謂「大學之道，在明明德，在新民，在止於至善」應可經由創造性詮釋，成為當今中國大學的基本精神。今日大學教育的改革，一方面要保持大學的教育理想，重視人文與科技的均衡；另一方面，則需回返大學的原初理想，重視大學的整全理性與陶成的功能。大學教育的改革一方面應學習科技中的普世化動力與批判精神；另一方面亦可經由創造性的詮釋，從傳統文化中獲取精神資源。本文首先要闡明科技的普世化動力與批判精神，進而闡明「活的文化傳統」，比較傳統文化的「講理」與現代科技的「理性」，並以儒、道的互補來發揮傳統文化的講理精神。最後，本文將討論如何由科技與文化的對比張力與其中含蘊的優越精神，走向大學教育改革。大學教育改革應能在趕上科技所帶領的普世化、全球化的同時，更能從傳統文化中汲取資源，藉以形塑特色，確立大學所要培養的理想人格，透過大學的教學、研究與推廣的機制，一方面發揮創造性詮釋的力量，發揚傳統文化的優長，另一方面發揮批判反省的精神，篩除傳統文化中的不良因素，盡到棄劣揚優的責任。如此大學教育或將更能在活的文化傳統中，扮演有自覺的推動角色。

Under the impact of social change and the emergence of new trends of thought, the Idea of University has suffered from a lot of changes. We can discern here three phases of change: from the ideal period it moved to the positivist period, and then from the positivist period it moved to today's administrative period. Today, the so called 'renewal' of university education not only means its 'betterment', which emphasizes the efficiency of university administration, but also a kind of 'revolution', interpreted as re-evolving towards its original spirit. It is here that I propose to read, through a creative interpretation, the message of 'great learning' as the basic spirit of today's Chinese universities. The renewal of today's university education should take a direction imbued with the spirit of contrast: on the one hand, it should always keep an ideal of its own and balance the technological development with humanities; on the other hand, it should always try to return to its original inspiration and emphasize the holistic function of reason and formation of characters. University education has to develop the universalizing dynamism and the critical spirit of science, but in the meanwhile it should draw its spiritual resources from its traditional culture as mediated by creative interpretation. This article will explain first the universalizing dynamism and the critical spirit of science, then go on to discuss the concept of 'living tradition' and compare the 'rationality' of modern science and technology with the 'reasonableness' of traditional culture. Last but not least, a discussion will be done as conclusion on how could we conduct the renewal of university education today.