The-Aim-of-a-University-Education

TheAimofaUniversityEducation大学教育的目的JohnHenryNewmanIfthenapracticalendmustbeassignedtoaUniversitycourse,Isayitisthatoftraininggoodmembersofsociety.Itsartistheartofsociallife,anditsendisfitnessfortheworld.如果一定要赋予大学教育一个切实的目的，我的主张是培养社会的好公民。大学教育的艺术就是社会生活的艺术，其目的就是使人适应这个世界。Itneitherconfinesitsviewstoparticularprofessionsontheonehand,norcreatesheroesorinspiresgeniusontheother.Works,indeed,ofgeniusfallundernoart;heroicmindscomeundernorule;大学教育一方面既不应把着眼点局限于某些特定的职业上，另一方面也不应是造就英雄，培养天才。事实上，天才伟业无法人为造就，英雄的思想亦如天马行空。AUniversityisnotabirthplaceofpoetsorofimmortalauthors,offoundersofschools,leadersofcolonies,orconquerorsofnations.ItdoesnotpromiseagenerationofAristotlesorNewtons,ofNapoleonsorWashingtons,ofRaphaelsorShakespeares,thoughsuchmiraclesofnatureithasbeforenowcontainedwithinitsprecincts.大学不是诗人、不朽作家和学派创立者的诞生地，也不是殖民地头领或外族征服者的培训所。大学并不承诺要造就一批亚里士多德、牛顿、拿破仓、华盛顿、拉斐尔、莎士比亚式的巨人，尽管这些大自然的杰作此前曾在大学的院墙中出现过。Norisitcontentontheotherhandwithformingthecriticortheexperimentalist,theeconomistortheengineer,thoughsuchtooitincludeswithinitsscope.此外，大学也不应满足于培养批评家、实验人员、经济学家和工程师，尽管这些人才的培养也在大学教育的范畴之内。ButaUniversitytrainingisthegreatbutordinarymeanstoagreatbutordinaryend;itaimsatraisingtheintellectualtoneofsociety,atcultivatingthepublicmind,atpurifyingthenationaltaste,atsupplyingtrueprinciplestopopularenthusiasmandfixedaimstopopularaspiration,atgivingenlargementandsobrietytotheideasoftheage,atfacilitatingtheexerciseofpoliticalpower,andrefiningtheintercourseofprivatelife.大学教育是一条通向伟大而平凡的目标的伟大而平凡的途径。大学教育旨在提高社会的知识氛围，培养国民的公心，净化国民的情趣，为浮躁的公众提供真正的公理，为公众的理想提供确定的目标，扩大时代的思想库并注入冷静的思考，促进政治权力的行使，提高人际交流的质量。Itistheeducationthatgivesamanaclear,consciousviewofhisownopinionsandjudgments,atruthindevelopingthem,aneloquenceinexpressingthem,andaforceinurgingthem.大学教育应让人清醒地认知自己的观点和判断，并正确地发挥，雄辩地阐述，有力地强调。Itteacheshimtoseethingsastheyare,togorighttothepoint,todisentangleaskeinofthought,todetectwhatissophistical,andtodiscardwhatisirrelevant.Itprepareshimtofillanypostwithcredit,andtomasteranysubjectwithfacility.大学教育应教会人们看清事物的真实面目并直接抓住要害，教会人们解开思想的缰结，发现其中的诡辩之处，舍弃其中的不相关之处。大学教育使人做好准备，可靠地胜任任何职位，轻松自如地掌握任何科目。Itshowshimhowtoaccommodatehimselftoothers,howtothrowhimselfintotheirstateofmind,howtobringbeforethemhisown,howtoinfluencethem,howtocometoanunderstandingwiththem,howtobearwiththem.大学教育教会人们如何适应他人，如何设身处地为人着想，如何把自己的想法转达给他人，如何影响他人，如何相互理解、相互宽容。Heisathomeinanysociety;hehascommongroundwitheveryclass;heknowswhentospeakandwhentobesilent;heisabletoconverse;heisabletolisten;hecanaskaquestionpertinently,andgainalessonseasonably,whenhehasnothingtoimparthimself;与任何群体的人相处，他都融洽自然；与任何人相交，他都有共同之处。他明白何时该说话，何时该沉默；他善于交谈，也善于倾听；当自己没有什么可述说的时候，他能够中肯地提出问题，并适时地接受教育；Heiseverready,yetneverintheway;heisapleasantcompanion,andacomradeyoucandependupon;heknowswhentobeseriousandwhentotriflewithgracefulnessandtobeseriouswitheffect.Hehasthereposeofamindwhichlivesinitself,whileitlivesintheworld,andwhichhasresourcesforitshappinessathomewhenitcannotgoabroad.他总是跃跃欲试，但从不妨碍他人；他是一个让人感到愉快的伙伴，让人可以依赖的朋友；他懂得何时应当严肃，何时可以嬉闹；他通脱而机智，嬉闹时不失优雅，严肃时不怒自威。他身处尘世而心静如水，足不出户而怡然自得。Hehasagiftthatserveshiminpublic,andsupportshiminretirement,withoutwhichgoodfortuneisbutvulgar,andwithwhichfailureanddisappointmenthaveacharm.他具有一种天赋，在他为公众服务时，使他游刃有余；在他退隐之后，赋予他精神上的支撑。若是没有这种天赋，纵然家财万贯，亦不脱粗俗；若是有了这种天赋，即使历经挫折，饱尝失望，也自有魅力。Theartwhichtendstomakeamanallthis,isintheobjectwhichitpursuesasusefulastheartofwealthortheartofhealth,thoughitislesssusceptibleofmethod,andlesstangible,lesscertain,lesscompleteinitsresult.旨在教诲人们所有这一些的技艺，正是大学教育追求的目标，它与获取财富的技艺、获取健康的技艺同样有用，尽管相比较而言，这种技艺更不易掌握，更不可琢磨，更难以确定，更不易完全具备。IfthenapracticalendmustbeassignedtoaUniversitycourse,Isayitisthatoftraininggoodmembersofsociety.Itsartistheartofsociallife,anditsendisfitnessfortheworld.Itneitherconfinesitsviewtoparticularprofessionsontheonehand,norcreatesheroesorinspiresgeniusontheother.Works,indeed,ofgeniusfallundernoart;heroicmindscomeunderonrules;aUniversityisnotabirthplaceofpoetsorofimmortalauthors,offoundersofschools,leadersofcolonies,orconquerorsofnations.ItdoesnotpromiseagenerationofAristotlesorNewtons,ofNapoleonsorWashingtons,ofRaphaelsorShakespears,thoughsuchmiraclesofnatureithasbeforenowcontainedwithintisprecincts.Norisitcontentontheotherhandwithformingthecriticortheexperimentalist,theeconomistortheengineer,thoughsuchtooitincludeswithinitsscope.ButaUniversitytrainingisthegreatbutordinarymeanstoagreatbutordinaryend;itaimsatraisingtheintellectualtoneofsociety,atcultivatingthepublicmind,atpurifyingthenationaltaste,atsupplyingtrueprinciplestopopularenthusiasmandfixedaimstopopularaspiration,atgivingenlargementandsobrietytotheideasoftheage,atfacilitatingtheexerciseofpoliticalpower,andrefiningtheintercourseofprivatelife.Itistheeducationwhichgivesamanaclear,consciousviewofhisownopinionsandjudgments,atruthindevelopingthem,aneloquenceinexpressingthem,andaforceinurgingthem.Itteacheshimtoseethingsastheyare,togorighttothepoint,todisentangleaskeinofthought,todetectwhatissophistical,andtodiscardwhatisirrelevant.Itprepareshimtofillanypostwithcreditandtomasteranysubjectwithfacility.Itshowshimhowtoaccommodatehi