民主作为一种人格品质——写在杜威教育哲学的延长线上

Democracy as a Personality Quality——Issues on the Extended Line of John Dewey's Philosophy of Education

民主是杜威教育哲学中的首要概念。不过,杜威并不满足于自由主义者之前所构造的那种占据统治地位的"程序性民主"的政治概念,而是对民主抱有更多的期待。作为一个民主社会主义者,杜威提出了"道德性民主"的概念。在杜威著名的"民主作为一种生活方式"的观点背后,隐藏着"民主作为一种人格品质"的前提假设,而且后者乃是他将民主与教育二者看作一个不可分割之整体的关键要素。回顾已经过去的20世纪,陶行知等人曾结合中国当时的实际,创造性地继承并发展了这一平民主义的教育传统,极大地推动了现代中国社会和学校教育的民主化进程。展望21世纪,民主作为人格品质的观念,将有助于国人转变封建专制时代聚焦"君主人格"的儒家传统观念,将其上升为国家(政府)的"法人人格",以便全体国民对为其服务的政府法人的公共政策、行政指令和工作方式等进行一种法律监督和人格评价。更为重要的是,全体国民是否愿意和能够进行这项监督与评价本身,也现实性地说明了这些国民自身是否已经具备这种民主的人格品质。

Democracy is the prime concept in John Dewey＇s philosophy of education, while he does not settle for the former concept of＂procedural democracy＂which constructed by liberalists,instead,he holds more expectations about democracy. Then,as a democratic socialist,Dewey puts forward the concept of＂ethical democracy＂. This paper considers that there is a premise＂democracy as a personality quality＂hides behind Dewey＇s well-known point as＂democracy as a way of life＂, and this premise is the key element to support him to make democracy and education an integral whole.Reviewing the past twentieth century,TAO Xingzhi carries forward this democratic educational tradition combining with the reality of China at that time,which provides powerful motive force for the democratization of modern China＇s society and schooling. Looking to the future, the idea of democracy as a personality quality is still benefit for us to transform the Confucian tradition as usually keep focus on the＂King＇s personality＂,and into the＂State＇s juridical personality＂instead,which will pave the way for people to play well the roles of supervisors and appraisers to the public policy,administrative instruction and working mode of the administration. Furthermore, whether people would or could do this, itself reflects actually whether they have had such a democratic personality quality.