清朝末季:民族自信的丧失与实用理性的延续--中华民族精神的现代转型研究之一

中华民族精神的基本要素是实用理性。清朝末季,随着对外战争的失败,中国思想界逐渐认识到传统文化的缺陷,从而丧失了原有的民族自信心并萌发了改变民族精神的要求。但由于实用理性的影响,传统儒学与专制政治结合甚紧．所以不可能再走“强化”传统的路子;同样由于实用理性的影响,中华民族精神不可能由世俗性道德转化为宗教性道德,所以最后的选择只能是继续囿于此岸世界的转化,这也就意味着难以突破实用理性的痼疾。

The Late Period of Qing Dynasty:the Lose of National Self-Confidence and the Last of Pragmatic Reason--the 1st Paper about Modernization of the Chinese Ethos

The basic element of Chinese ethos is Pragmatic Reason. In the late Qing Dynasty, with the lose of wars against foreign troops, Chinese intellectuals realized there was some defects with Chinese traditional culture, lost the former self-confidence for China, and began to sprout the idea of changing their ethos. But because of the influence of Pragmatic Reason, traditional Confucius was connected with autocratic monarchy intensely, it is impossible to strengthen tradition, and because of Pragmatic Reason too, Chinese ethos can not be changed from secular morality into religious morality, the last choice is only changing in this shore, it means they could not break through the chronic illness of Pragmatic Reason.