With only a few months to go before the year 2000, the new century stands right in front of our eyes. In retrospect, the past 100 years of human existence have been extremely exciting, and extremely frightening as well. Can those living in the present soberly and humbly put away their prejudices as they look back in retrospection, and learn lessons from the past, so as to create a better future for generations to come？
1. Making great strides in the development of science and technology. From mechanical kinetics to the Internet, from improvements in various surgical techniques to outer space landings and embryo cloning, the development of science and technology in the 20th Century has progressed at a pace beyond imagination, especially in the last forty to fifty years. Breakthroughs in medical science and the invention of computers have transformed and extended human life.
Many developments in science and technology have resulted in an improvement in people's lives. But just as much technology is given to enhancing and improving the destructive capabilities of weapons, resulting in the Earth constantly living under the threat of “instant destruction”。
There are almost infinite possibilities in the application of the Internet, but the long-standing values and laws which humankind has held dear are undergoing tough challenges. It is certain that human beings will continue its association with technology and will become more reliant upon it. The pros and cons of technology will continue to follow us into the next century.
2. The appearance of a global village. The development of the modes of transportation and the emergence of the electronic media resulted in more rapid transmission of information. As the ability to mutually influence one another becomes greater in the world, the distances between people and between nations are becoming shorter. Exchanges in value and cultural systems become more rapid and it is difficult to put a stop to them. But rational communication between human societies has not increased correspondingly.
The minute division of labour in the production process, and increasing interdependency in trade and economy is evident in the financial crisis afflicting us at the end of this century. Economic activity is no longer purely a matter of production, trade and barter. It is a means to satisfy human desires of every kind. Within it, there is an element of unequal relationship between the strong and the weak. Faced with a stronger power, the weaker party has no avenues of escape, because “development” has become a fact of life that all political leaders must accept.
3. The lessons from the two world wars - mass destruction of lives, collapse of the world economy, disaster of a global scale. As military maps are being redrawn in the world, the United States has emerged as the sole superpower at the end of the 20th Century. However, some Americans lack the ability to reflect on the unilateral export of their culture. The cultural hegemony of the hawkish elements in political circles and the media makes it impossible to soften the impact of the clash between different ideologies.
One of the lessons that can be learned from the Second World War is the issues of race, religion and economy must be monitored and controlled. （The Europeans' appeasement policy towards irrational regimes would only aggravate the hidden dangers.） However, to monitor and control them, a strong and effective system of international coordination must be in place. We should not curb violence with violence. Actually, the most effective way is to raise the intellect of the people. An enlightened populace would be able to prevent internal armed conflicts and irrational actions. Then, they would be able to solve their own problems and monitor the government's actions.
4. The disaster caused by the antagonism between ideologies. Ideology is no longer a philosophical debate, but a tool employed by ambitious politicians and armchair idealists. Ideology remains a scourge today, but it is often disguised under various names and theories, and therefore hardly discernible. In this aspect, there is a similar need for the raising of the people's intellect and a perfect balance between politics and the law.
On the other hand, “idealism”, at the end of the century, is on the decline because of the end of the Cold War and the rise of hedonism. Instant material culture and electronic entertainment are causing the quick disappearance of the arts, literature and philosophy, like the “rain forest”。 But the behaviours and conditions which are borne out of the emptiness of the human spirit are getting worse by the day. The “fin de siecle” has become a shallow excuse.
5. The great division of the Chinese nation. The fall of the feudal dynasty and the ideological stalemate that followed resulted in the Chinese nation being divided for more than half a century. A hundred years of weakness, with the improvements in transportation and the increase in worldwide exchanges, set off a century of immigration, which has not stopped to this day. “Where there is sea water, there are Chinese” has become an ironic adage. To this day, the feudal political absolutism has not disappeared.
6. The widening gap between the rich and the poor, the developed and the undeveloped. The development of technology, medicine and trade has not made human society more equal, but instead, it has created bigger differences, to the extent that the weaker ones become the tidbits of the strong. This of course has a lot to do with the policies pursued by the poor countries, which is also caused by ignorance, selfishness, greed and so on. Probably the only way to gradually improve in the future is by having proper and adequate education. The emphasis is on education, and it is an education that places emphasis on both technology and the humanities. Only with adequate education in the humanities can a person clearly see the direction in which the country and the world is heading, and not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Van Loon, a philosopher in the early 20th Century, left the legacy of “tolerance” to future generations. Humanity today possesses more wisdom and awareness than its forebears a century ago. Have we achieved the broad-mindedness to treat people who are different from us, and who hold different views, with tolerance？ Can we nurture a human spirit which is superior to the generation before, and with our warm hearts, hand it down to future generations？
二十世紀的經驗和教訓
再過幾個月就進入公元2000年,新的世紀就在眼前,回首過去一百年,人類世界可說精彩絕倫,但也驚心動魄。有緣同生在當世的人,是不是可以在共同回首之際,冷靜而虛心的放下成見,吸取教訓,為子孫創(chuàng)造更美好的將來？
一、科技的長足發(fā)展——從機械動力到電腦網絡,從各種內科手術的改進到登陸外星球和胚胎復制,20世紀的科技發(fā)展早已不止一日千里,特別是近四五十年來,醫(yī)學上的突破和電腦的發(fā)明,讓人類生活為之改觀,壽命大為延長。
許多科技固然發(fā)揮了利民安生的正面效果,但也有不少用在加強和改良武器殺傷力方面的技術,讓地球始終脫離不了“一舉毀滅”的陰影。電腦網絡應用領域幾乎沒有窮盡的開發(fā),也不斷讓人類許多維持良久的價值觀和法律基礎受到嚴峻的挑戰(zhàn)?？梢钥隙?人類在未來仍將與科技為伍,并且會愈來愈依賴它,科技之利與弊仍將伴隨我們進入下一世紀。
二、地球村的出現(xiàn)——交通工具的發(fā)展和電子傳媒的出現(xiàn),信息傳遞加速,國際間相互影響力擴大,人與人、國與國的距離大大縮小,價值觀與文化交流加速乃至難以隔絕,相對的是人類社會之間的理性溝通卻未相應增加和提升。
而生產分工精細化,貿易與經濟依存度提升的結果,從世紀末的金融風暴中可以看得一清二楚,經濟活動不再是單純的生產和交易、或互補有無的事情,而是人類滿足各種欲望的手段,其中包含強權與弱者之間的不平等關系。弱者面對強權,甚至已經無所逃于天地間,因為“發(fā)展”已經是所有政治領袖都必須接受的現(xiàn)實。
三,兩次大戰(zhàn)的教訓——生靈涂炭,經濟崩潰,全球受災。正當軍事版圖改寫,美國得了漁翁之利,成為20世紀末的強權,但是部分美國人對文化的單向輸出問題缺乏反省能力,政壇和輿論界鷹派人物對文化的霸權心態(tài),讓意識形態(tài)的對立仍無法在世紀末緩和。
兩次大戰(zhàn)的教訓之一是,民族、宗教和經濟問題必須受監(jiān)控（歐洲國家對非理性政權的綏靖政策,只會讓潛在危機惡化）,但是監(jiān)控有賴強有力的國際協(xié)調,而非以暴制暴。其實的方式,應該是民智的提升,只有開明的百姓,才能避免內部的武力沖突和非理性行為,進而解決自己的問題,并監(jiān)察政府的行為。
四,意識形態(tài)對立引起的災難——意識形態(tài)不再只是哲學的思辯,而成為政治野心分子和空頭理想主義者的工具,至今仍是禍害,但往往在各種名義和理論包裝下,難以分辨。這一方面,同樣有賴民智的提升與政治和法律上完美的制衡。
另一方面,“理想主義”到世紀末因冷戰(zhàn)結束,享樂主義盛行而趨于沒落。速食式的物質文化與電子化的休閑方式,讓藝術、文學和哲學走向“熱帶雨林化”,迅速消失。但是人們因心靈空虛而出現(xiàn)的行為與現(xiàn)象,卻日漸嚴重,“世紀末”成了浮淺的借口。
五,中華民族大分裂——封建王朝的覆滅與意識形態(tài)的僵持,讓中華民族出現(xiàn)超過半個世紀的對峙。百年的積弱和交通的進步、世界的交流,則讓中華民族掀起長達一個世紀的移民潮,至今未絕,“有海水的地方就有中國人”竟是一句反諷的話。而封建式的專斷政治形態(tài),至今也還沒有結束。
六,貧富差距,先進與落后差距日大——科技、醫(yī)療、貿易的發(fā)展,并沒有讓人類社會變得更平均,反而是拉大彼此的差距,甚至讓弱者成為強者的點心。這當然和窮國的政策有密切關系,但其實也就是愚昧、自私、貪婪等等問題使然。大概唯有正確而充分的教育,才能在未來的世代中逐步改善。重點就是教育,而且是技術與人文并重的教育,只有充分的人文教育才能讓人看清楚國家和世界的走向,不再重蹈覆轍。
二十世紀初的哲學家凡龍（Van Loon）以“寬容”為遺產留給后世,今天的人類在經歷一百年的波折之后,是不是比一個世紀前的祖先具備更多的智慧和意識,有沒有鍛¤出同樣的胸襟,以寬容的心去對待“異己”,去接納“異見”,并且培養(yǎng)出比上一代更優(yōu)秀的心靈,以溫暖的掌心傳給下一代？
（作者是文化工作者）
1. Making great strides in the development of science and technology. From mechanical kinetics to the Internet, from improvements in various surgical techniques to outer space landings and embryo cloning, the development of science and technology in the 20th Century has progressed at a pace beyond imagination, especially in the last forty to fifty years. Breakthroughs in medical science and the invention of computers have transformed and extended human life.
Many developments in science and technology have resulted in an improvement in people's lives. But just as much technology is given to enhancing and improving the destructive capabilities of weapons, resulting in the Earth constantly living under the threat of “instant destruction”。
There are almost infinite possibilities in the application of the Internet, but the long-standing values and laws which humankind has held dear are undergoing tough challenges. It is certain that human beings will continue its association with technology and will become more reliant upon it. The pros and cons of technology will continue to follow us into the next century.
2. The appearance of a global village. The development of the modes of transportation and the emergence of the electronic media resulted in more rapid transmission of information. As the ability to mutually influence one another becomes greater in the world, the distances between people and between nations are becoming shorter. Exchanges in value and cultural systems become more rapid and it is difficult to put a stop to them. But rational communication between human societies has not increased correspondingly.
The minute division of labour in the production process, and increasing interdependency in trade and economy is evident in the financial crisis afflicting us at the end of this century. Economic activity is no longer purely a matter of production, trade and barter. It is a means to satisfy human desires of every kind. Within it, there is an element of unequal relationship between the strong and the weak. Faced with a stronger power, the weaker party has no avenues of escape, because “development” has become a fact of life that all political leaders must accept.
3. The lessons from the two world wars - mass destruction of lives, collapse of the world economy, disaster of a global scale. As military maps are being redrawn in the world, the United States has emerged as the sole superpower at the end of the 20th Century. However, some Americans lack the ability to reflect on the unilateral export of their culture. The cultural hegemony of the hawkish elements in political circles and the media makes it impossible to soften the impact of the clash between different ideologies.
One of the lessons that can be learned from the Second World War is the issues of race, religion and economy must be monitored and controlled. （The Europeans' appeasement policy towards irrational regimes would only aggravate the hidden dangers.） However, to monitor and control them, a strong and effective system of international coordination must be in place. We should not curb violence with violence. Actually, the most effective way is to raise the intellect of the people. An enlightened populace would be able to prevent internal armed conflicts and irrational actions. Then, they would be able to solve their own problems and monitor the government's actions.
4. The disaster caused by the antagonism between ideologies. Ideology is no longer a philosophical debate, but a tool employed by ambitious politicians and armchair idealists. Ideology remains a scourge today, but it is often disguised under various names and theories, and therefore hardly discernible. In this aspect, there is a similar need for the raising of the people's intellect and a perfect balance between politics and the law.
On the other hand, “idealism”, at the end of the century, is on the decline because of the end of the Cold War and the rise of hedonism. Instant material culture and electronic entertainment are causing the quick disappearance of the arts, literature and philosophy, like the “rain forest”。 But the behaviours and conditions which are borne out of the emptiness of the human spirit are getting worse by the day. The “fin de siecle” has become a shallow excuse.
5. The great division of the Chinese nation. The fall of the feudal dynasty and the ideological stalemate that followed resulted in the Chinese nation being divided for more than half a century. A hundred years of weakness, with the improvements in transportation and the increase in worldwide exchanges, set off a century of immigration, which has not stopped to this day. “Where there is sea water, there are Chinese” has become an ironic adage. To this day, the feudal political absolutism has not disappeared.
6. The widening gap between the rich and the poor, the developed and the undeveloped. The development of technology, medicine and trade has not made human society more equal, but instead, it has created bigger differences, to the extent that the weaker ones become the tidbits of the strong. This of course has a lot to do with the policies pursued by the poor countries, which is also caused by ignorance, selfishness, greed and so on. Probably the only way to gradually improve in the future is by having proper and adequate education. The emphasis is on education, and it is an education that places emphasis on both technology and the humanities. Only with adequate education in the humanities can a person clearly see the direction in which the country and the world is heading, and not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Van Loon, a philosopher in the early 20th Century, left the legacy of “tolerance” to future generations. Humanity today possesses more wisdom and awareness than its forebears a century ago. Have we achieved the broad-mindedness to treat people who are different from us, and who hold different views, with tolerance？ Can we nurture a human spirit which is superior to the generation before, and with our warm hearts, hand it down to future generations？
二十世紀的經驗和教訓
再過幾個月就進入公元2000年,新的世紀就在眼前,回首過去一百年,人類世界可說精彩絕倫,但也驚心動魄。有緣同生在當世的人,是不是可以在共同回首之際,冷靜而虛心的放下成見,吸取教訓,為子孫創(chuàng)造更美好的將來？
一、科技的長足發(fā)展——從機械動力到電腦網絡,從各種內科手術的改進到登陸外星球和胚胎復制,20世紀的科技發(fā)展早已不止一日千里,特別是近四五十年來,醫(yī)學上的突破和電腦的發(fā)明,讓人類生活為之改觀,壽命大為延長。
許多科技固然發(fā)揮了利民安生的正面效果,但也有不少用在加強和改良武器殺傷力方面的技術,讓地球始終脫離不了“一舉毀滅”的陰影。電腦網絡應用領域幾乎沒有窮盡的開發(fā),也不斷讓人類許多維持良久的價值觀和法律基礎受到嚴峻的挑戰(zhàn)?？梢钥隙?人類在未來仍將與科技為伍,并且會愈來愈依賴它,科技之利與弊仍將伴隨我們進入下一世紀。
二、地球村的出現(xiàn)——交通工具的發(fā)展和電子傳媒的出現(xiàn),信息傳遞加速,國際間相互影響力擴大,人與人、國與國的距離大大縮小,價值觀與文化交流加速乃至難以隔絕,相對的是人類社會之間的理性溝通卻未相應增加和提升。
而生產分工精細化,貿易與經濟依存度提升的結果,從世紀末的金融風暴中可以看得一清二楚,經濟活動不再是單純的生產和交易、或互補有無的事情,而是人類滿足各種欲望的手段,其中包含強權與弱者之間的不平等關系。弱者面對強權,甚至已經無所逃于天地間,因為“發(fā)展”已經是所有政治領袖都必須接受的現(xiàn)實。
三,兩次大戰(zhàn)的教訓——生靈涂炭,經濟崩潰,全球受災。正當軍事版圖改寫,美國得了漁翁之利,成為20世紀末的強權,但是部分美國人對文化的單向輸出問題缺乏反省能力,政壇和輿論界鷹派人物對文化的霸權心態(tài),讓意識形態(tài)的對立仍無法在世紀末緩和。
兩次大戰(zhàn)的教訓之一是,民族、宗教和經濟問題必須受監(jiān)控（歐洲國家對非理性政權的綏靖政策,只會讓潛在危機惡化）,但是監(jiān)控有賴強有力的國際協(xié)調,而非以暴制暴。其實的方式,應該是民智的提升,只有開明的百姓,才能避免內部的武力沖突和非理性行為,進而解決自己的問題,并監(jiān)察政府的行為。
四,意識形態(tài)對立引起的災難——意識形態(tài)不再只是哲學的思辯,而成為政治野心分子和空頭理想主義者的工具,至今仍是禍害,但往往在各種名義和理論包裝下,難以分辨。這一方面,同樣有賴民智的提升與政治和法律上完美的制衡。
另一方面,“理想主義”到世紀末因冷戰(zhàn)結束,享樂主義盛行而趨于沒落。速食式的物質文化與電子化的休閑方式,讓藝術、文學和哲學走向“熱帶雨林化”,迅速消失。但是人們因心靈空虛而出現(xiàn)的行為與現(xiàn)象,卻日漸嚴重,“世紀末”成了浮淺的借口。
五,中華民族大分裂——封建王朝的覆滅與意識形態(tài)的僵持,讓中華民族出現(xiàn)超過半個世紀的對峙。百年的積弱和交通的進步、世界的交流,則讓中華民族掀起長達一個世紀的移民潮,至今未絕,“有海水的地方就有中國人”竟是一句反諷的話。而封建式的專斷政治形態(tài),至今也還沒有結束。
六,貧富差距,先進與落后差距日大——科技、醫(yī)療、貿易的發(fā)展,并沒有讓人類社會變得更平均,反而是拉大彼此的差距,甚至讓弱者成為強者的點心。這當然和窮國的政策有密切關系,但其實也就是愚昧、自私、貪婪等等問題使然。大概唯有正確而充分的教育,才能在未來的世代中逐步改善。重點就是教育,而且是技術與人文并重的教育,只有充分的人文教育才能讓人看清楚國家和世界的走向,不再重蹈覆轍。
二十世紀初的哲學家凡龍（Van Loon）以“寬容”為遺產留給后世,今天的人類在經歷一百年的波折之后,是不是比一個世紀前的祖先具備更多的智慧和意識,有沒有鍛¤出同樣的胸襟,以寬容的心去對待“異己”,去接納“異見”,并且培養(yǎng)出比上一代更優(yōu)秀的心靈,以溫暖的掌心傳給下一代？
（作者是文化工作者）