国内外知名高校校训评析

A Comparative Study of Mottoes of Prestigious Universities

国内外高校校训在不断的演化进程中,呈现出多元化的趋势。无论是高校校训的来源、类型,还是高校校训的特点与内涵,均体现着高校的个性与特色。国内外高校校训,鲜明地折射出不同的文化背景与价值取向。我国高校校训大部分来自于儒家经典著作,注重强调人的道德义务与人伦关系,强调内心修养和精神生活的充实,反映了我国深厚的文化底蕴,具有浓厚的人文主义色彩;而国外高校校训则具有明显的宗教色彩,体现的是宗教思想文化,主要强调对真理与学术自由的追求。此外,国内外知名高校在校训继承、诠释、培育等方面的经验,可以为高校校训的继续发展提供相关借鉴。

A motto is the spirit of a school and reflects the ideals of the people running the school. In the last hundred years, mottoes of famous universities both at home and abroad presented a tendency of diversity in the continuous course of evolution. Despite their differences in the sources, types, characteristics and connotative meanings, mottoes of prestigious universities all incarnate different universities＇ personality and features. The motto has played an active role in expressing the runners＇ ideals, their demands on students and the faculty. A comparison of mottoes of prestigious universities shows that they have different cultural backgrounds and value orientations. Chinese universities are affected by the Confucianist educational thinking for a long time. The major contents of their mottoes come from the classical works of Confucianism. They insist on the moral duties and human relations, emphasize the inner culture and the uplifting of spiritual life, reflect our profound cultural deposits, and are influenced by humanism. In the West, religion has a binding force on morals and plays an important role in education, Many universities are even run by churches. Mottoes of many Western universities are religious, reflecting a religious spirit in their pursuit of truth and academic freedom. The study of mottoes of prestigious universities at home and abroad suggests that the development of a motto should keep a relative stability. The text of a motto cannot go through constant changes. Its connotative meanings should advance with the time. The contents of a motto should be refined and compact. The spirit of a motto should be cultivated by all the people involved.