英国“中华文明救西论”辨正

An Investigation of the So-called“ Chinese Civilization Saving the West” in Britain

本文对于周宁、葛桂录、黄丽娟等学者在近些年出版的论著中提出的20世纪上半叶英国出现的所谓"中华文明救西论"思潮提出商榷。首先,本文回顾了这些学者提出该命题的学术背景与理论支撑、文本证据,同时与西方同类研究著作的相关论述进行比较;其次,以本阶段四位被认为是"中华文明救西论"的倡导者或典型代表—英国人迪金逊、罗素和艾克敦乃至德国历史学家斯宾格勒及其《西方的没落》为例,来剖析其作品的主题与内涵;最后本文得出结论:把"中华文明救西论"看作是20世纪上半叶英国的时代思潮与重大命题缺乏足够的证据。

The present paper is a response to the argument put forward by Zhou Ning, Ge Guilu and Huang Lijuan in their respective monographs published in recent years that the so-called topic of "Chinese civilization saving the West" prevailed in the first half of the 20 ^(th) century Britain. A review of the academic background, theoretical and textual evidence regarding their point of view is firstly conducted, with the analogical works of their Western counterparts being compared. And then the paper analyses briefly the works of G. L. Dickinson, Bertrand Russell, Harold Acton and Oswald Spengler(especially his Decline of the West), paying special attention to their dominant themes and underlying subjects. Finally, a conclusion is made: It is still quite insufficient to assert that the so-called "Chinese Civilization Saving the West" was prevalent in Britain in the first half of the 20^(th) century.