相对主义时代的教育封闭

The Closing of Education in an Age of Relativism

我们身处相对主义时代之中。相对主义否认永恒之善,将善视为特定时空中的特定群体之善,认为不同群体的善都同样为真,人们应以开放之心平等地尊重它们。不过,一个深刻的悖论是,当相对主义否认了永恒之善和共同之善时,它的大开放就变成了大封闭。相对主义的教育视开放为唯一的美德,排斥永恒之善,这亦使得开放的教育走向了封闭。无论是就开设的课程、教育的方法,还是教师和学生的灵魂状态来说,都是封闭的。如何走出封闭,向古典教育开放是重要的路径之一。在古典的教育传统中,无论是政治哲学还是师生关系都朝向永恒之善,从而是开放的。

In an age of relativism,eternal goodness is denied,while goodness is treated as those belonging to specific social groups in specific time and space, endowed with equivalent truth and thus should be equally respected with open mind. However,there rises a profound paradox:the great opening of relativism would result in great closing when eternal goodness and common goodness are abandoned. Correspondingly,open education is in danger of closing itself with eternal goodness rejected and substituted by the sole goodness of opening that is revered by education of relativism,leading to the closing of both the curriculum,educational methods defined by it,and the condition of souls of teachers and students involved. Classical education stands as one destination which may close the closing,since in the tradition of classical education,either political philosophy or teacher-student relationship is orientated towards eternal goodness,making the education genuinely open.