“科学与人生观论战”的伦理学意义

The Ethical Significance of the Debate on Science and the Philosophy of Life

20世纪20年代初中期爆发的“科学与人生观论战”亦称“科玄论战”,是继“东西文化论战”之后中国学术界发生的一次规模大且影响深远的学术讨论。论战中形成的科学派、玄学派和中国早期马克思主义三家,围绕着科学与人生观、科学与伦理、理性与直觉、事实判断与价值判断、科学精神与人文精神之间的复杂关系展开了深刻的探讨和激烈的学术论争,对20世纪中国伦理思想和伦理文化的形成发展产生了重大影响。从伦理思想和伦理文化的发展而言,“科学与人生观论战”有着对科学万能论和道德万能论的诸多反思和批判,对“科玄分涂”之必要性的深刻论证和对“分涂”之后果效应的诸多忧思,对“科玄统一”之合理性的关注和对其矛盾如何化解的诸多忧虑,初步标揭出科学主义与人本主义伦理思想以及二者相结合的价值建构意义。

The Debate on Science and the Philosophy of Life,also known as the Debate on Science and Metaphysics,which took place in the middle of the 1920s,was a large-scale and far-reaching academic discussion that occurred in China's academic community following the previous Debate on East and West Culture.There were three Schools participant in this debate,namely the School of Science,the School of Metaphysics,and the School of Marxism.Centered on the complex relationships between science and the philosophy of life,science and ethics,reason and intuition,factual and value judgment,and scientific and humanistic spirit,each undertook profound explorations throughout the course of this intense debate.If it can be said that the School of Science,represented by Ding Wenjiang丁文江,Wang Xinggong王星拱,Hu Shi胡适,and Wu Zhihui吴稚晖,opened a door to the scientific or naturalistic ethical thought in the process of defending scientific values,then the School of Metaphysics,represented by Zhang Junmai张君,Liang Qichao梁启超,and Zhang Dongsun张东苏,initially established a theoretical tone of humanistic ethical thought while defending humanistic values,especially moral values.However,early Chinese Marxists,represented by Chen Duxiu陈独秀,Qu Qiubai瞿秋白and Deng Zhongxia邓中夏,used historical materialism and dialectics to explore the values of science and morality,and established a foundation for researching Marxist ethical thought in the view of which science and morality should be dialectically unified.The three Schools of thought engaged in fierce argument and academic debate around"where should the Chinese ethical culture go"and"how to build China's own modern ethical ideas",and as a result,they bequeathed many ethical academic resources and lessons worth our in-depth exploration.From the perspective of the modernizing developments of Chinese ethical civilization,the scientific and ethical ideas put forth by the School of Science and the humanistic ethical ideas put forth by the School of Metaphysics have their own strengths and weaknesses.They did not deeply grasp the national and contemporary character within the modernization process of Chinese ethical civilization.The School of Metaphysics held that science and metaphysics should be separated,and they claimed that the humanities are prior to science,and they argued that the drawbacks of Western capitalist civilization should be attributed to its heavy advocating of science.Contrarily,the School of Science emphasized that science,which is prior to the humanities,could dominate the philosophy of life.Furthermore,this School even equated traditional ethical civilization with feudalism.Only Chinese Marxists,by using dialectical materialism and historical materialism,have correctly and profoundly discussed the dialectical relationship between science and the philosophy of life by dialectically analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of traditional ethical civilization and modern Western ethical civilization,which conformed both to law and to purpose.Thereby,they provided ethical civilizational wisdom that appreciates both the national and contemporary character necessary for solving"the disputes between ancient and modern,China and West"in modern times.