大学的起源与本质:探索中国大学的初心

The Origin and Essence of University:Exploring the Original Purpose of Chinese Universities

中国高等教育和西方高等教育虽缘起有异,但都是以人的发展和社会需要为背景。从中外大学发展脉络看,早期的大学教育以哲学宗教、人文艺术为核心内容,直至洪堡大学诞生,科学研究才在大学教育中日渐兴起。学科体系的完善带来了分科教学日渐细化,教学与科研逐步分离。中国高校在建设世界"双一流"大学的进程中,应不忘探索真理、立德树人的初心,在教育内容上不仅关注知识传授和能力培养,更要关注对真知的永恒追求;在教学方法上更加重视师生共同体的建设,从宏观体制和微观激发两个层次找寻中国大学改革的驱动力。

Higher education in China and in western countries, although different in their origins, were all for human development and social requirement. From the development path of universities, philosophy, religious and other social sciences were the core of higher education in ancient times both in China and western countries. Research on natural science hadn?t showed its importance in universities until Hum- boldt-Universitat zu Berlin was founded. With the development of science, higher education tends to be restricted in relative narrow disciplinary area and lead to a separation of teaching and research. In the con-struction of “double first-class university”,Chinese universities should maintain the original purpose of pursuing truth and improving human beings. A university should not only focus on knowledge transfer and skill building, but also emphasize “pursuit of enduring truth”. Constructing learning community and embracing modern information technology are crucial for Chinese universities to improve their quality of education. Both the micro-internal drives and macro-external mechanism should be established for the reform of Chinese Universities.