蔡元培美育观与传统礼乐的现代转进

Cai YuanpeiS Ideas on Aesthetic Education and Modern Evolvement of Chinese Traditional Rites and Music

在中国现代美育史上,蔡元培虽然一直以倡导新学著称,但对中国传统的礼乐之教却不抱偏见。他的美育思想对传统礼乐的汲取和再造,为其向现代转进提供了通道。蔡元培基于"中学""西学"皆为我所用的原则,以心性论、进化论和西方哲学美学为基础,从现代教育及艺术维度重新阐发传统礼乐。他强调礼乐传承重在"领其精神",促使礼教与现代德育对接,并据此发掘礼的审美价值和"远鄙俗"的美育功能。他推动乐教向现代美育转进,提出乐为"美育""美感教育""美的教育"和"纯粹美育"。由此,传统礼乐的现代转进,在蔡元培"美育救国"的追求下,非但不是复古,反而被烙上了感性启蒙的印记。这不仅与"以美育代宗教说"之间形成了一种内在精神契合,同时为传统礼乐演进确立了现代价值原则,佐证了现代美学美育与传统礼乐美学的内在关联。

Although Cai Yuanpei was always well-known for promoting New Learning, he had no bias against Chinese traditional rites and music. His ideas about aesthetic education that derive from Chinese traditional rites and music have provided a path to the modernization of Chinese traditional rites and music. Following the principle of "Chinese Learning" and "Western Learning" serving for the New Learning, he reinterpreted traditional rites and music from the perspectives of modern education and art based on the theory of temperament, evolution, western philosophy and aesthetics. He emphasized that the key point for the inheritance of rites and music was to "understand their spirit" advancing the combination of feudal ethical code and modern moral education from which the aesthetic value of rites and the function of aesthetic education "keeping away from rudeness" were explored. Therefore, with Cai’s pursuit of saving China by "aesthetic education", the modern transition of traditional rites and music did not return back to the ancient Chinese style, but marked perceptual enlightenment, which not only resulted in the inherent spirit agreement with "substituting aesthetic education for religion", but also established modern value principles for the progress of traditional rites and music.