蔡元培的多重角色及其思想结构

Cai Yuanpei′s multiple role and his thought construction

身处急遽变化的中国近现代转型时期,蔡元培一身兼具多重社会角色,他不仅是出色的社会活动家,而且是现代知识分子和杰出的学者。作为社会活动家,他扮演的是民主革命家、现代教育家的角色;作为现代知识分子和学者,他以启蒙思想家、美学美育家著称于世。如何理解这些众多的社会角色之间的相互关系,系统准确地把握蔡元培的思想结构,是一个很有意义的话题。概括而言,思想家与革命家、美学家与教育家是蔡元培先生的一体两面,前者是知,后者是行。推动、支撑蔡元培走上民主革命道路的,是他的人道主义启蒙思想和道德理念。而具有"普遍性"和"超越性"的美的情感,则是到达人道主义新道德的有效路径,于是研究美学、推行美育就融为他启蒙思想和社会活动的一个重要组成部分。

Being in the time of urgent change in modem China, Cai Yuanpei had multiple social roles. He was not only an excellent social activist, but also an outstanding scholar. As the social activist, he played the role of democratic revolutionist and modem educator;as the modem scholar, he played the role of enlightenment ideologist and estheti- cian. It is a very meaningful topic to understand the relationship of these social roles and grasp Cai＇s thought construc- tion. In summary, the ideologist and revolutionist, and the esthetician and educator are Cai＇s two aspects. The former is recognition and the latter is action. It was his humanitarian enlightenment thought and moral concept to promote and support Cai Yuanpei to go on the way of democratic revolution. The aesthetic emotion of ＂universality＂ and ＂tran-scendence＂ is the effective way to the new humanitarian morality. Therefore, studying and promoting aesthetics had become an important part of his enlightenment thought and social activity.