Cross-Cultural Dialogue, Issue 19

Author: Yue Daiyun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: University education and the university spirit are the foundation for eliminating human crises and building a harmonious society today, because the representatives who will manage the future world are produced from today's universities. This issue further introduces the educational philosophy of Morin. Morin believes that the focus of educational reform is the reform of thinking methods, that is, establishing a complex thinking model, and based on this, carrying out the transformation of society as a whole. This is because the continuous fragmentation of knowledge and the increasingly severe imbalance and isolation between regions make it difficult for people to unite to address the major crises they face. In Calame's article, it is further proposed that the primary duty of the university is not to educate students on how to adapt to future society—as if history has already been written in advance—but to cultivate students' ability to enter the world and create the world, handle various relationships, and carry out necessary changes. Chen Lichuan further argues that the unconditional nature of the university is the right to question everything, including the value and truth of the questions themselves, that is, to ask questions without any restrictions. This is the reason for the existence of the university and also an unavoidable responsibility. Luo Gang's article reinterprets the educational philosophy of Cai Yuanpei under the current circumstances, delving into the paradox between "the ideal of the university" and "the ideal of the nation." Other articles discussing current issues in university education are also equally compelling.