论华夏民族文化“造极于赵宋之世”

Social Background and Historical Effect of Chinese National Culture Achieving Its Apex in Song Dynasty

赵宋时代积贫积弱,但在意识形态领域却异彩纷呈。陈寅恪先生认为,华夏民族文化经过数千年演进,“造极于赵宋之世”。华夏民族文化在宋代登峰造极的基本原因是:时代呼唤理性和人文精神,百姓期盼太平盛世,统治者实施了“以文治国”的方略;深重的社会道德危机,催生了救世良方。在构筑理学新体系方面,宋代儒学家崇尚疑古创新精神,勇于开辟理性思维空间,对传统义利观进行了再造。宋儒们在寻求自身价值的过程中,通过不懈努力,最终创造出了多姿多彩的人文世界。

In contrast to an accumulation of poverty and weakness during the period of Song Dynasty, there appeared glamorous ideologies. As Mr. Chen Yinque argues, with the evolution and progress in thousands of years, the apex of the Chinese national culture was achieved in Song Dynasty. The basic reasons are analyzed as follows： the times called for rational thoughts and humanistic spirit; people craved for peace and prosperity; the strategy of running a state with the civil service was adopted; the moral crisis urged the emergence of effective measures to save the country. To build a new system of Li Xue （a Confucian school of idealist philosophy）, the Confucian scholars advocated suspecting old ideas and bringing forth new ones, explored mode of rational thinking actively, rebuilt traditional relationship between morality and interest. Therefore in the process of seeking their own values they created a colorful world of humanism through unremitting hard work.