蔡元培兼容并包之再诠释

The Re-annotation of “Incorporating Diverse Things”Put forward by CAI Yuan-pei

以往对蔡元培“兼容并包”的研究，基本上是将其作为论述中的确定结论来使用。其最大问题是，未能看到思想与实践之间的立体互动，使研究陷入某种平面化、静止化的误区。蔡元培对“兼容并包”的诠释有一个不断深入的过程。在北大轭革的最初两年时间里（1917年－1918年），蔡元培主要从扭转北大学风入手，希冀将德国大学崇尚学理之学风移植至北大，通过强调不同学术派别的兼容并在，将北大塑造为研究“高深学问”之所。再加上，这种出发点正与蔡氏本性上“囊括大典”的偏好相契合，由此，学派兼容更是发挥得淋漓尽致。但是，“兼容并包”真正可“兼容”的范围并非全如人们想象，人事上的争斗以及北京大学在民国初年的特殊地位，都可看作“兼容并包”得以在一定程度上实现的合力。蔡元培通过与林纾的论战，借重自身的学术声名和社会威望，再加上新文化一派的通力配合，使得“兼容并包”作为北大改革的理念开始进入了人们的视野。

In all the previous research， the “incorporating diverse things ”has always been used as a definite conclusion， the problem of which lies in the ignorance of solid interaction between thoughts and practice which leads to the complanation and static state of research. CAI Yuan-pei’s explanation of “incorporating diverse things”underwent a process during which he gradually deepened his idea. During the first two years（1917-1918）of reform in Peking University， starting from improving the academic atmosphere there， CAI Yuan-pei hoped that the tradition of pursuing scholarship in German universities could be transplanted to Peking University and that Peking University could be built as an institution where people pursuing “advanced knowledge” by putting an emphasis on the coexisting of different academic schools. This idea was compatible with CAI’s academic preference， and the coexisting of different academic schools had made great success. However， the range of the things that could be incorporated was not as wide as people thought. The conflicts in personnel affairs and the unique status of Peking University in the beginning of People’s Republic can be regarded as the united force through which “incorporating diverse things ”could be realized in certain degree. By debating heatedly with Lin Shu， with his good academic reputation and social prestige well as the concerted effort by the school of New Culture， CAI Yuan-pei made the idea of “incorporating diverse things ”noticed by the public as a major idea of reform in Peking University.