康有为物质救国论的历史意义

On the Historical Significance of Kang Youwei's Idea of National Salvation Through Material Civilization

康有为追求西方物质文明之目的是要使中国从贫穷到富强。他于二十世纪初周游欧美,亲见西方物质文明之盛。欧美诸国国富兵强,伸张海权,令其印象尤其深刻。中国与西方相比非常落后,故力倡改弦更张,将改革提到救国的高度。他的热心倡导无疑有国族主义色彩,但并不与其大同思想抵触,大同毕竟是未来遥远的前景,救国才是目前的任务。从他一元论的文化观点来看,西方讲究物质文明原是人类现代化发展的共同道路,人的基本价值是普世的,现代物质文明是没有国界的,所以建设中国的物质文明乃迎头赶上的必走之路。先将现代中国富强而后迈向世界大同,在思想上并不矛盾,因而他在追求现代化的过程中几乎没有出现思想上或心理上的紧张。

The purpose of Kang Youwei' s tireless search for Western material civilization was in hopes of lifting China from poverty to wealth and power.He had the opportunity of traveling to Europe and America at the beginning of the twentieth century,during which he was profoundly impressed by the brilliant material civilization of the West,in particular he sensed the importance of the mighty sea power.Aware of the backwardness of his own country,he elevated his reform to the level of national salvation.His eagerness for national wealth and power,to be sure,seems to have display an enthusiasm for nationalism.But it does not contradictory to his universal ideal of " the Great Community",as the ideal is a utopia for the distant future,while national salvation is the mission of the present.In his monistic view of culture,he believed that the material civilization of the West was the common path of mankind.As human value and modern material civilization,which have no national boundary,are universal,what China should do is to catch up with the advanced countries in the West.His priority was to modernize China first and then moves onto a new world of universal happiness.This is Kang' s fundamental thinking,which has no inconsistency and tension in it.