进化论与蔡元培之“废经”

Evolutionism and Cai Yuanpei′s Policy of Abrogating the Subject of Confucian Classics Studies

经学从现代教育体制淡出,这不仅是中国传统学术的一场革命,也是中国近现代教育史上一个划时代的变革。事实上,蔡元培正是民国初年"废经"政策的主推者,也是1935年"读经问题"大讨论中的代表人物。蔡氏作为一位典型的晚清儒学士大夫之所以放弃忠君、尊孔,转而接纳西方价值与学术,正是因为接受了由严复改造的进化论,而进化论背后则蕴含功利主义的伦理学立场。在此立场上,蔡氏否定了传统经学作为常道或"中体"的先验价值预设,主张经学与其它一切中西学术都必须接受"优胜劣败,适者生存"的进化论检验,只有在结果上能够"益己益世"的学术才具有存在的合理性。通过比较,他认为经学无论是在内容的完备性还是在形式的系统性方面都比不上西学,因此,中国在教育上应该实行"废经",全面接受西学与西方教育体制。

The fading out of Confucian classics studies in modern education institutions was not only a revolution of traditional Chinese scholarship,but also a new epoch of modern Chinese education.Indeed,Cai Yuanpei was the major promoter of the policy of abrogating the subject of Confucian classics studies,and one of the most influential figures in the big discussion of"Problem of Reading Confucian Classics"in 1935.This paper indicates that evolutionism played a critical role in this academic and educational revolution.Cai’s transformation from a traditional Confucian scholar,who had been deeply immersed in Confucian classics studies,into a modern scholar embracing western scholarship and educational institutions,can be attributed to his acceptance of evolutionism remoulded by Yan Fu.Furthermore,this paper also unveils the utilitarian characteristics of social evolutionism,and this very concept has laid the ethical foundation of Cai’s policy of abrogating the subject of Confucian classics studies in modern Chinese education system.