学问与世变:晚清中国实学观的衍变与知识取向的转折

Learning and World Change:Evolution of the Practical Learning Concept and Transition of Knowledge Preference in the Late Qing Dynasty

无论是清代的官方知识诉求,还是乾嘉学问影响下的士林风尚,其标榜的学问追求都并未脱离"经史实学"的范畴,经史之学在清代儒学内部长期位于"实学"概念的核心。晚清以降,这一以经史之学作为"实学"的观念,发生了根本的动摇。在"论学以有用为主"的时代思潮影响下,由于经过了偏重近世史与外国史的调适,史学作为一种知识门类的地位获得了提升,成为"有用之学"的一种;同时,在同一把衡量学问"有用"与否的流行标尺下,经学则被归于"无用",也由此在清末日益退居知识版图的边缘乃至走上被扬弃的道路。

According to the official appeal for knowledge released by the Qing court,as well as the fashion among intellectual circles under the influence of Qianjia School,the core of the concept＂practical learning ＂was generally composed of the study of the classics and history.However,the concept changed thoroughly during the late Qing period,as a slogan＂Learning should be judged by whether it is useful or not＂ pointed out.History became one of the branches of so-called＂useful knowledge ＂and achieved a high status among various branches of knowledge after it had taken modern history and foreign history into account.Meanwhile,the study of the classics was regarded as＂not useful＂ based on the same criteria.Therefore,it retreated to the marginal area on the map of knowledge and was on the way to be discarded later in modern China.