摘要
The central concept of Western Enlightenment is scientific reason. It catalyzed the development of modernity, but itself contains a series of paradoxes： between ＂ought＂ and ＂is,＂ between necessity and freedom, between universality and historicity, and so on. The impact of Enlightenment reason on China was negative in that it generated a superstitious belief in the omnipotence of scientific method and in Western experience and political principles. Consequently, Chinese liberals were unable to handle the relationship between modem Western culture and traditional local culture and the relationship between the ideals of Enlightenment modernity and the objective requirements of real-life politics. At the same time, they were unable to identify the rational and non-rational elements in Western modernity or to develop what was useful and discard what was not. The real value of the Enlightenment lies in its spirit of reflective criticism. It is, therefore, an unfinished business in terms of eliminating superstition and dogma.
西方启蒙运动的核心理念是科学理性,它虽然促进了现代性的发展,但自身却包含了一系列的悖论,如是与应当的悖论、必然与自由的悖论、普遍性与历史性的悖论等。启蒙理性对中国的消极影响是造成了对科学方法万能的迷信,以及对西方经验和政治原则的迷信,从而使中国的自由主义者不能处理好西方现代文化和本土传统文化的关系,以及启蒙的现代性理想与现实政治客观需要的关系,同时也不能合理鉴别和扬弃西方现代性中的合理因素与不合理因素。启蒙的真正价值是反思批判精神,因此启蒙是一项不断破除迷信和教条的未竟事业。
