美学与中国的现代性启蒙——20世纪中国的审美现代性问题

Aesthetics and Enlightenment of China’s Modernity: Aesthetic Modernity in 20th Century China

中国的现代性启蒙是以民族独立、国家富强而不是以个体价值的认定和张扬为主要目标的。因此 ,中国现代性启蒙的主潮是社会启蒙 ,而这种社会启蒙的内容与目标跟西方启蒙运动所提倡的理性精神也有很大差异。同时 ,由于社会启蒙任务的紧迫性 ,个性或审美启蒙的意义在很长时间内被遮蔽、被忽视。但是 ,以王国维、蔡元培等人为代表的中国现代美学家从审美角度为中国的现代性启蒙进行了不懈的努力 ,构成中国现代性启蒙不可或缺的一翼 ,成为新中国现代性建设的重要的思想文化资源。进入 2 0世纪下半期 ,以实践美学为代表的中国当代美学接续了审美启蒙的任务 ,成为 80年代人文启蒙的思想文化先锋和代表。

The Enlightenment of Chinese modernity takes national independence and affluence, not recognition and sublimation of individual values, as its major goal. Therefore the main current of Chinese modernity is social enlightenment, which distinguishes itself greatly in both content and aims from the rational spirit in Western Enlightenment. Urgent as is the mission of social Enlightenment, the individuality and aesthetic significance of Chinese Enlightenment has long been neglected and forgotten. But as great efforts were made by such modern aestheticians as Wang Guowei and Cai Yuanpei from the perspective of aesthetics, the Chinese modern Enlightenment has become an independent and indispensable force, indeed, an important intellectual source for the modernization of New China. During the latter half of the 20th century, especially in the 1980s, the Chinese modern aesthetics represented by “practical aesthetics” has contributed a lot to the new Enlightenment and has become pioneering representative of China’s Enlightenment in humanities.