The concept of "valuing reason over literature" should have become a thing of the past long ago

2023-12-13

Recently, discussions about humanities have been trending again. This simple evaluation of the humanities does not come from any individual, nor does it happen by chance, but rather an inherent prejudice that many people have towards the humanities for a long time. The resurgence of the debate around humanities today is still the choice of college entrance examination preferences. This reminds me of the dilemma I faced in the early 1980s when I was in high school at Luoyang No.1 Middle School, where I was divided into humanities and sciences. At that time, my math was very good, and Chinese and English were my strengths, but I insisted on applying for humanities because I liked literature. My homeroom teacher, who is also my physics teacher, specifically went to my house to tell my parents that I would not apply for humanities because the path to humanities is narrow. I have always been grateful for the teacher's kind door-to-door advice, and I am also grateful that my parents did not force me to choose a science major. In the end, I chose humanities, and there was no consideration for employment at that time. It was just due to my own interests. Of course, everyone's experience is just a case, and it is difficult to have universality. I will not use this to inspire young students to follow the path I have walked. But it can be seen from this that the concept of "valuing reason over literature" that existed since the 1980s has not undergone fundamental changes today. I have always believed that the concept of valuing reason over literature, and even later becoming a prejudice, has historical reasons. In ancient China, the emphasis on liberal arts and the establishment of a country's system did not lead to the formation of a scientific and technological force that could adapt to the development of modern society in modern times, which is why Joseph Needham's question "Why did the scientific and industrial revolution not occur in modern China?". From a historical perspective, China has been at a disadvantage in many competitions with foreign powers since the late Qing Dynasty, leading to constant occurrences of humiliation and humiliation towards the country. In the later period of the Republic of China, due to technological backwardness and weak national strength, they were equally inferior in diplomacy, military, and other aspects. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the country attached great importance to the development of science and technology, which has been learned from history. In the 21st century, as China has emerged from the shadow of history and become a globally recognized economic power with strong influence, while further enhancing its technological strength, measures such as valuing cultural construction and strengthening international communication have become more important. People often say that technology is hard power, and culture is soft power. At a seminar on China's scientific and technological innovation and cultural construction, mainly focused on scientific and technological personnel, as a humanities scholar, I put forward a viewpoint: when the national strength and technological strength of both countries are equal, culture is also a form of hard power in the competition between the two sides. In other words, the stronger the national strength, the more it is necessary to deepen the development of humanities and social sciences while continuing to develop science and technology. Today, a common saying is that what kind of university to attend is very important. If you don't graduate from a "Double First Class" university, you may not even have the opportunity to interview in the future. I think this kind of statement should be seen as encouraging candidates to strive to enter better universities. At the same time, it should also be noted that China's "Double First Class" universities are only a few out of a few, with only 42; Even the previously referred to 211 universities are only over 100; There are currently over 3000 universities and over 1270 undergraduate institutions in China. As far as undergraduate institutions are concerned, good universities like "Double First Class" are different from ordinary universities

Edit:Zhoushu    Responsible editor:Jia Jia

Source:Global Times

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