蔡元培的美育思想及其历史贡献

Cai Yuanpei's Aesthetic Education Thought and its Historical Contribution

教育是否以人为目的,是古代专制主义教育与现代民主主义教育的根本分歧之点。蔡元培就任民国临时政府教育总长时,发表了《对于新教育之意见》的演说,同时还写了一份《对教育宗旨案之说明》。在出任北大校长时期,曾向军阀政府提出《教育独立议》的提案。蔡元培反复强调"以美育代宗教",突出地表现了他对中国文化精神的深刻体认。蔡元培的"以美育代宗教",充分说明了中国文化的理想境界是艺术—审美而非宗教;中国人的道德人格培养是靠内省的,完全是自由自觉的,毫无外在的强迫。这两个方面都是靠艺术-审美教育来完成的。本文从美育方针与美育的实施、美育的性能及价值、美育与德育、艺术教育与科学教育、美育与宗教等方面的关系,论述蔡元培的美育思想及其历史贡献。美育的根本目的,是为了受教育者自身的全面发展,因而最突出地体现现代教育"以人为目的"的宗旨,也是教育现代性的集中表现。

Whether education is oriented by people or not is the fundamental difference between ancient despotism ed- ucation and modern democratic education. When Cai Yuanpei was the education minister of provisional government of the Republic of China, he delivered a speech of ＂ suggestions upon new education＂ and also wrote an ＂ instruction of educational aims＂. When he was the president of Peking University, he once put forward a proposal of ＂ independence of education＂. He stressed to place religion with aesthetic education, which prominently represents his profound rec- ognition of Chinese cultural spirit. It fully illustrated that the ideal state of Chinese culture is art and aesthetics but not religion; and Chinese moral personality is cultivated through introspection. In this paper, Cai Yuanpei＇s aesthetic thought and his historical contribution is discussed from perspectives of guiding principle, function, value of aesthet- ics, and relationship between aesthetic and moral education, art and science education, and aesthetic and religious education. Since the ultimate aim of aesthetic education is for the sake of the all - around development of the educat- ed, it eminently reflects the people -oriented purpose of modem education, and it is concentrated expression of edu- cational modernity.