從H. Arendt與M. Nussbaum的觀點論培育公民的重要性

Considering the Importance of Cultivating Citizenship from Perspectives of M. Mussbaum and H. Arendt

本文論述培育公民的重要性，分為三個部分：第一個部分，由歷史與制度說明公民的意義與價值。其次，理解公民意義的前提，就是需要民主的實踐。我們引用著名法國哲學家de Tocqueville之名著《美國的民主》說明美國的民主制度與實踐；同時，我們也引用羅斯福夫人所展現的道德勇氣，說明公民應有的責任。最後，針對公民培育的理念，我們檢視Nussbaum與Arendt兩人的教育思想。Nussbaum認為，培育公民的關鍵正在於是否能夠透過教育的手段，訓練大學生從通識教育學習與理解多元價值。Arendt則認為，教育的本質來自於教導學生學習傳統價值。結合這兩人之觀點，我們認為，理解多元價值對於社會進步所提供的可能性，必須以傳統價值為基礎。反之，若是沒有強調多元價值的教育，傳統教育勢必因為缺乏不同思維挑戰的結果，逐漸走向威權與教條化的宿命。

The paper argues for the importance of citizenship and is divided into three parts: 1. illustrating the meaning of citizenship historically and its necessary link with the democratic system. 2. The pre-condition of understanding the meaning of citizenship. is democratic practice. A. de Tocqueville's classics, Democracy in America exposes this fact. We also refer to Eleanor Roosevelt to show the citizens' responsibility and courage. Finally, we take the ideas from M. Nussbaum and H. Arendt by examining their educational thoughts. M. Nussbaum thinks the key of cultivating citizenship lies precisely in training the university students to know the indispensability of pluralistic values through the courses of general education. H. Arendt instead thought the very essence of education is rooted in teaching students to know the traditional values. Combining them, Nussbaum and Arendt's ideas are important for offering a consistent principle for cultivating citizens.