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博雅教育何以重要:卫斯理大学校长北大演讲
发布日期:2013-01-17

117日,美国卫斯理大学(Wesleyan  University)校长迈克尔·罗斯(Michael  Roth)  教授在英杰交流中心发表了题为《博雅教育何以重要》的演讲。此次演讲作为北京大学和卫斯理大学的校际交流的一项重要内容,由北京大学高等人文研究院、世界  伦理中心主办,北京大学国际合作部、北京论坛协办。到场嘉宾包括北京大学副校长李岩松、北京大学高等人文研究院院长杜维明、北京大学哲学系主任王博、北京  论坛秘书长严军等。来自北大各院系的100余名师生前来聆听演讲,并就“博雅教育”的话题,进行了热烈而富于学术深度的回应。

北京大学副校长李岩松教授首先介绍迈克尔·罗斯校长和卫斯理大学的基本情况,并就两校进一步的合作事宜提出了建设性的想法。紧接着,在对美国的“博雅教育”(Liberal  Education)进行历时回溯和共时评价的基础上,迈克尔·罗斯教授为到场师生奉献了一场精彩的演讲。

作为历史学者,罗斯教授首先做了一番“知识考古”的工夫。他指出美国历史上的“博雅教育”理念植根于欧洲启蒙主义的文化传统,并援引康德关于“启蒙是从自我设定的不成熟状态释放自我”的经典定义,以及黑格尔“解放、激励、协作”的三大教育理念,将之与杰斐逊(Thomas  Jefferson)等美国建国时期思想家关于“博雅教育”的言论相勾连。

继而转到爱默生(Ralph Waldo  Emerson)浪漫版本的博雅教育观,罗斯教授指出其核心概念是“自力更生、激发创造力和克服盲目性”,并指出这一视角正与当前以应试为中心的教育文化相反。此外,他还从哲学视角回溯了威廉·詹姆斯(William James)和杜威(John Dewey)  博雅教育理念及其哲学的关系,指出时下美国大学教育对于批判性思维的过分强调,实可以从詹姆斯的教育言论当中得到反思。罗斯教授还特别指出,杜威的实验哲  学超越学科界限而关注方法,有其在“博雅教育”思想史上的特殊意义。杜威旨在突破近代以来专业化研究日益流于狭隘、无用的局限性,用博雅教育练就的方法论  打通学术与生活,使学生及学者在学科秩序及其上升阶梯之外,获得对广泛的社会事务发言的可能性。

沿  着从杰斐逊、爱默生、威廉·詹姆斯直至杜威的思想传承脉络,结合对美国当前教育现状的批评,罗斯教授为听众展现了一条将艺术、人文与社会科学、自然科学相  结合的博雅教育之路,并涉及到最近西方知识界有关基础教育持续性价值的争论,引起到场师生的广泛共鸣。在评议环节,北京大学高等人文研究院院长杜维明教授  对罗斯教授的演讲进行了深入解读,再一次从历史维度抽丝剥茧,揭示伏尔泰、狄德罗、孟德斯鸠等18世纪欧洲启蒙思想家深受儒学思想影响的事实,并借此探讨了博雅教育与中国本土资源相贯通,儒家经典与西学经典协同参与当下教育实践的可能性。

最后,在杜维明教授的主持下,迈克尔·罗斯教授与北大师生就中美大学教育比较、信息时代的博雅教育、网上公开课等话题进行了热烈的互动。到场嘉宾及师生也对两校相关交流活动的进一步展开,表示了由衷的期待。

 

 附英文介绍:

BEIJING – Michael Roth, President of Wesleyan University, distinguished  author, historian, educator, and public intellectual visited Beijing and gave an  inspiring lecture on Liberal Education in Moonlight Hall at the Yingjie Exchange  Center in Peking University.

The event was hosted by The Institute for Advanced  Humanistic Studies (IAHS) under the directorship of eminent cultural master  and Confucian ethicist Professor Dr. Tu Weiming, and co-hosted by the Office of International  Relations and the Beijing Forum. Peking University is the leading institution of  higher learning in China.

Speaker: Michael Roth, President of Wesleyan University

Guests: Tu Weiming (Director of IAHS and WEIB), Li Yansong (Vice President of  Peking University), and Yan Jun (Secretary-General of Beijing Forum)

When: Jan 17, 2013

Abstract:

Historian, curator and author Michael Roth, President of Wesleyan University,  will argue for an approach to liberal learning that integrates the arts,  humanities and social sciences with the sciences, touching on current debates  about the continued value of a broadly based education, as well as how such an  education has been perceived historically in the United States.

General outline:

Michael Roth discussed the history of Liberal Education from its roots in the  European enlightenment to its golden age inAmerica, in particular through the  contributions of Thomas Jefferson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James, and John  Dewey.

The talk started with Immanuel Kant’s definition of “enlightenment is freeing  oneself from self-imposed immaturity“, Georg Hegel’s concepts of  ‘liberate, animate, cooperate’, and went to the USA  with Thomas Jefferson’s idea on liberal education as compared to the oppression  of free thought in curriculum based university education (e. g. “You don’t  choose your profession before you know… […] through inquiry, not force-fed by  authority […] you will have mistakes […] but ours will be the follies of  enthusiasm.”).

Next, Emerson’s own romantic version of liberal education was explored, and  with it the key concepts of self-reliance, animated  creativity, and the overcoming of blindness: “Education is setting  souls on fire” and the importance of aversive thought. These ideas of liberal  education are in strong contrast to today’s culture of test-taking.

As Michael Roth explained from his experience as President of Wesleyan  University: “Young people try to guess what the authorities want to hear in the  test-papers” and “learning for test-taking will produce teachers and students  whose world views are very narrow”. This conservative attitude in higher  learning today would, according to Mr. Roth: “produce people who are less likely  to produce change.” Moreover: “For me pragmatism is so important for liberal  education because it produces habits of action that produce difference to the  world that we want to happen.”

In a brief excursion on the subject matter, Michael Roth explained that  American undergraduate education has now come to a point where it  over-emphasizes on critical thinking which is not the same as liberal  education: “Critical thinking [has become so normal as to] washing your hands.  It is how to see through every idea, to poke holes in every argument. [American  students] are going to be tough, because they will never be fooled.”

Finally, Michael Roth elaborated on John Dewey who believed that education is  important for how we produce ideas that work in life: “Dewey saw professors who  train their students to become like the professor.” This let him to believe that  universities are too inward-looking and shouldn’t separate themselves from  business, politics, and society at large; but universities should actively  search cooperation with society: “Education is inciting doubt; is  transformative; is to illuminate the world; is to create positive innovations in  the world.”

Michael Roth concluded his talk by answering the question on how to know the  value the success of an idea saying: “The proof will be if you had the ability  to change the world.”

Michael Roth: "The proof will be if you had the ability to change the world."  

Michael Roth: “The proof will be if you had the  ability to change the world.”

A lively Q&A section followed moderated by Professor Tu  Weiming. Professor Tu tackled some important issues on the future of liberal  education. In particular “who educates, and who should be educated”.

Michael Roth explained that in today’s information age universities fail to  distribute information; instead they would be giving up some control of  information and to research on problems that are real and only recently rose to  top because of competitions from the social media and the internet (e. g.  lecturers freely available on YouTube, etc.).

One of the final questions put to Michael Roth at this event was what his  impressions of China were in contrast to perhaps US media reporting about China.  Mr. Roth answered that he tries not to be led by superficial media reporting and  instead tries to experience China himself. Although this was not his first time  in China, he said it won’t be his last.

Professor Tu Weiming concluded this event by thanking President Michael Roth  for accepting his invitation; and he hopes to see him again here at Peking  University.

Key words:

Liberal education, enlightenment, Michael Roth, John Dewey, Ralph Waldo  Emerson, William James, critical thinking, Thomas Jefferson, self-imposed  immaturity, oppression of ideas, authority, control, liberate animate cooperate,  aversive thought, setting souls on fire, animated creativity, test-taking,  overcoming blindness, American pragmatism, habits of action


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