大学通识教育的科学取向与人文取向——杜威与赫钦斯之争综论

杜威与赫钦斯关于大学通识教育之争始于二人有关通识教育理念问题的论争,在当时政治、经济、文化等因素的共同作用下演变为双方的持久论争。从1936年至1945年前后,这场论争经历了三个阶段,涉及通识教育目标、科学与职业教育范式和名著教育价值等重大问题。杜威等人批评赫钦斯迷信“永恒真理”和古典权威,轻视经验科学与社会需要,更有否定民主之嫌;赫钦斯等人则回应这是对其观点的误解,竭力阐明名著教育的理智价值、道德意义及其与民主的关联。论争双方都在一定程度上误解了对方的观点,他们的分歧主要在于通识教育的价值取向而非根本目的,其论争在很大程度上形塑了20世纪30年代以后美国大学通识教育的基本框架,并推动人文学科获得了与科学同等重要的地位。

Scientific and Humanistic Orientation of General Education in Universities:A Systematic Review of the Dewey-Hutchins Debate

The debate between John Dewey and Robert M.Hutchins on general education is of great significance in the history of American higher education.Grounded in the disagreement on the ideas of general education,the Dewey-Hutchins debate evolved into a lasting dispute between the two parties under the effects of political,economic,and cultural factors.From 1936 to 1945,it went through three stages,focusing on issues such as the purpose of general education,science and the paradigm of vocational education as well as the educational value of the Great Books.Dewey and his followers criticized Hutchins for believing in eternal truth and authority,underestimating empirical science and social needs,and even denying democracy;Hutchins and his supporters responded that Dewey misunderstood their ideas and they tried to clarify the intellectual and moral values of Great Books and their relationship with democracy.Confined by certain subjective and objective factors,to a large extent,both Dewey and Hutchins misunderstood their rivals ideas on general education.As the disagreement between Dewey and Hutchins lies in the value orientation of general education rather than its fundamental goal,their debate shaped the framework of general education in American universities after the 1930s and helped the humanities get equally important status as the sciences.