胡适关于中国近代文化转型的几个重要观念

Hu Shi's some important ideas on the modern transformation of Chinese culture

在令大多数中国人长期困惑的中西文化的关系问题上,胡适认为关键的问题是,如何能使中国文化与看来同自己的固有文化大不相同的现代世界新文化泰然相处,并怎样以最有效的方式吸收现代的新文化,使它能同我们的固有文化相一致、相协调和继续发展。胡适指出,各民族的文化本质上是有同一性的,是可以互相借鉴的。因此,不存在所谓东方文化是精神的,西方文化是物质的这种大分别。胡适又指出,历来各民族的文化交流的常态都是自由选择,各取所需。胡适还强调指出,任何文化都有其自身的"根本保守性",也就是所谓"文化本位"。这个"文化本位"实际上就是那无数无数的人民。基于这样的认识,就能够以一种开放的文化观念来处理中国文化与世界新文化的关系,化解种种困惑,较好地解决近代文化转型中遇到的各种问题。

In regard to the problem on the relations between Chinese culture and the western cultures that have perplexed the Chinese for a long time, Hu Shi maintain that the fundamental problems are how can we Chinese feel at ease in this new world which at first sight appears to be so much at variance with what we have long regarded as our own civilization？ How can we best assimilate the new civilization of the modern world in such a manner as to make it congenial and congruous and continuous with the civilization of our own making？ Hu Shi points out, human civilizations are basically very the same and can be learned from each other. Thus, there is no such big difference between the oriental and occidental civilization as the former is a spiritual civilization and the latter is a material one. Hu Shi emphasize that free choice and each takes what it needs is the normal state of cultural exchange.Every culture has its basic conserativeness, i.e.cuhural bedrock,which in fact is the numberless people. Basing on this cognition, we can handle the relations between Chinese culture and the world new culture with an open mind, resolve various erplexities and problems confronted with us in the modern cultural transformation.