学术争辩更需要理性与包容——从60年前贝德士与邓嗣禹的争辩说起

1951年亚洲历史年会上,贝德士评论邓嗣禹论文《欧美中国史中的基督教僭妄》,引起邓之不悦.会后,邓寄给贝氏措词尖锐的信函,要求其作建设性的批评.贝氏在回信中既表示歉意,同时坚持自己批评的要点;并希望在印第安纳波利与邓晤谈,消除双方误解.30年后,邓在美国同贝氏先生的弟子章开沅教授畅谈时,对贝氏流路出真情实意的敬佩.面对目前国内学术批评失序,贝德士与邓嗣禹这样充满理性与包容的良好人格与学术风范,确实弥久而愈珍.

Academic Debate Calls for Reason and Tolerance Starting from the Debate Between Miner Searle Bates and Deng Siyu 60 Years Ago

At the annual meeting of Asian History in 1951,M iner Searle Bates’comment on Deng Siyu’s paper C hristianity Blasphemy in the C hinese History by Europe and the U nited States made the latter displeased.After the meeting,Deng sent an angry letter to Bates in w hich Deng asked Bates to make constructive criticism.In answ er to the letter,Bates made an apology,but still sticked to his main points of criticism and expressed his hope to meet Deng in Indiana Polly and eliminate their misunderstanding.30 years later,w hen he talked freely and to his heart’s content w ith Prof.Z hang Kaiyuan,a student of Bates,Deng show ed unintentionally his true respect for Bates.In face to the disorder of academic criticism at home,the good personality and academic style w ith reason and tolerance betw een Bates and Deng are truly lasting and valuable.