革命的普罗米修斯:洛克《教育漫话》中的绅士及其教育

The Revolutionary Prometheus:The Gentlemen and Their Education in Locke’s Some Thoughts Concerning Education

《教育漫话》一书虽在1693年才正式出版,但这些私人书信主要写于1688年英国光荣革命之前,尤其集中在1684年至1687年。这意味着《教育漫话》可能并不是一本纯粹意义上的教育论著,更是一本与《政府论》发生内在联结的政治著作。前者强调了人民如何形成配享革命的能力和资格,而后者承认了人民拥有革命的权利和权力。回到《教育漫话》的文本内容以及洛克创作这一文本的历史语境,可以清晰地看到洛克关于绅士教育的论述与他对于辉格党人革命的期待是紧密联系在一起的。作为一份革命前夕的教育行动指南,《教育漫话》旨在培养革命的普罗米修斯。无论是绅士教育体系的世俗和功用色彩,还是洛克对于事业家政治才干的期许和重视,抑或洛克在论述方式上的克制和谨慎,这些都透露出洛克的绅士教育其实是在发现和呼唤潜在的革命者,以求塑造出那种具有治国能力、进退皆宜的政治领袖。

Although the book Some Thoughts Concerning Education was officially published in 1693,but these private letters were mainly written before the Glorious Revolution of England in 1688,especially between 1684 and 1687.This means that Some Thoughts Concerning Education may not be a purely pedagogical book,but is a political work that has an internal connection with Two Treatises of Government.The former emphasizes how the people have the ability and qualification to carry out revolution,while the latter recognizes that the people have the right and power of revolution.Returning to the content of the text and the historical context of Locke’s book,we can clearly see that Locke’s discourse on gentlemen’s education is closely linked with his expectation of Whigs’Revolution.As an educational guide on the eve of the revolution,Some Thoughts Concerning Education aims to cultivate the Revolutionary Prometheus.Whether it is the secular and functional color of the gentleman educational system,or Locke’s expectation and attention to the political talent about the man of business;or Locke’s restraint and prudence in the way of discussion,all of these reveal that Locke’s gentleman education is actually to discover and call for potential revolutionaries,in order to create a kind of political leader who has the ability to govern the country and is suitable for both advance and retreat.