学界对民国大学教育的研究侧重西方大学理念?制度?实践等对中国的影响,而缺乏对大学理论文本的研究?有鉴于此,以民国学者对弗莱克斯纳《现代大学论》的导入为切入点,可发现弗氏大学理论的传播与接受是民国教育界的热点论题?民国学者对此既有异乎寻常的多样关注,又有接受弗氏对美国大学的批评而舍弃了作为其精华的“现代大学的理念”的共性?中国传统文化对逻辑理念的轻视及其固有的经世致用精神是导致这一现象的重要因素?民国学者对弗氏思想之取舍,实为导入西方大学理论的典型缩影?它说明外来大学理论在异质文化场域转移过程中存在被接受与排斥之现象,也凸显了学术思想在不同文化场域转换时必然遭遇的文化过滤问题?
Scholars in the Republic of China paid remarkably varied attention to the Universities: American, English, German written by Flexner. There were affirmation and criticism as well as silent resistance to Flexner’s theory. Despite these scholars’ different attitudes, it was common that they all chose to adopt Flexner’s criticism towards the American Universities, while abandoning or neglecting his idea of a modern university, which is the essence of Flexner’s theory. The phenomenon was a typical reflection of the general tendency among Chinese scholars dealing with the western theory. They selected the ingredients which adapts to China’s society, politics and education, and could be useful to them. This inherent pragmatism spirit of Chinese culture potentially influenced the selection of the western theory on university, which led to the abandoned core concepts of western theory.