五四:文化论战,为何而战?——以陈独秀与杜亚泉为例

在五四新文化运动高潮中,陈独秀与杜亚泉发生了一场关于东西方文明的论战。对这场论战的评价过去相当长的时间里往往失之于简单化,但1990年代之后从保守主义立场上对这场论战进行的再估价也非常可疑。因此,这页旧账很有重新清理的必要。他们究竟在争什么?新文化阵营为何而战?论战开始之前,双方都在进行文明比较,但一方志在文化革新,一方意在文化保守,冲突可谓不可避免。论战中的分歧主要在于:一、陈独秀致力于批判专制主义和呼唤思想自由,杜亚泉却习惯于大一统的思想文化秩序,不喜欢思想的自由状态,因而主张“统整”。二、陈独秀致力于批判中国固有文明和引进西方现代文明,杜亚泉却留恋中国固有文明而不满于西方文明的输入。三、杜亚泉致力于维护固有文明之“国基”,陈独秀则为这“国基”阻碍民主共和的健康成长而痛苦。作为共和国的卫士,陈独秀在当时的努力与蔡锷的护国壮举有同样的意义。任何再评价都需要首先尊重这一历史事实。

The May 4th Movement: A Controversy between East and West Cultures Take Chen Duxiu and Du Yaquan as an example

At the climax of the May 4th movement,a cultural controversy about east and west occurred between Chen Du-xiu and Du Ya-quan.The review about this controversy is simplified in the past;on the other hand,the revaluation based on the conservatism standpoint since 1990s is also suspectable.So we should to liquidate this controversy.The bifurcations of Chen and Du rest with: The first,Chen Du-xiu committed himself to animadverting despotism and vocalizing thought freedom,Du Ya-quan was accustomed to the unification of thought and cultural system;The second,Chen Du-xiu committed himself to animadverting connatural culture and introduction of west culture,but Du Ya-quan opposite it.The third,Du Ya-quan took the connatural culture as the basis of our country,but Chen Du-xiu regarded the connatural culture as a block of democracy.Maybe we can say that Chen Du-xiu is as important as Cai E when they made great efforts to protecting the Republic regime.Any revaluation must take this historical fact as the base.