因时势而教:杜威对五四时期学生运动的反应与评价

Teaching According to Circumstances: John Dewey's Response and Evaluation to the Student Revolt During the May 4th Movement

杜威访华,正值五四后学生运动风起云涌之时。五四运动标志着学生作为一支新生力量登上了社会政治舞台。1920年6月之后,学生日益激进,要求极端、全面的变革。杜威的私人书信细致记录了他对于中国学生运动观感的变迁:从最初的疑虑转变为高度评价五四运动的成绩,再转变为痛心其动辄罢课的手段,反对其全面变革的主张。因此,杜威在其公开讲演中一直试图引导学生运动走上积极建设的路向。另一方面,面向美国公众时,杜威隐藏了批评的锋芒,肯定了中国学生运动的积极面向,试图为中国营造一种正面的形象。胡适对学生运动的看法与杜威颇为相通,都遵循着实验主义的基本原则,即,哲学要适应环境的需要。

During John Dewey’s visit to China,students revolted incessantly.As a new force,students stepped onto the social and political stage through the May Fourth Movement.After June 1920,students became increasingly radical and demanded extreme and complete changes.Dewey carefully recorded his observation and evaluation of the student revolt in his personal letters:from initial doubts to a high evaluation of the achievements of the May Fourth Movement,and then to deploring the frequent strike and opposing students’ proposals for complete changes.Thereupon,Dewey has been trying to guide the student revolt to the direction of active construction in his public speeches.On the other hand,when facing the American public,Dewey affirmed the positive side of the Chinese student revolt,and tried to build a positive image for China.Hu Shih’s views on the student revolt were quite similar to Dewey’s,and both followed the basic principles of experimentalism,that is,philosophy should adapt to the needs of circumstances.