An Anti-traditional Tradition: The American Idea of Liberal Education

Abstract

美国自由教育理念并非自始至终具有一个一以贯之的形态。杰斐逊开创的自由教 育传统强调自由学习、知识的普及与传播, 但还是以精英教育为主。但其核心“言说 的自由与技艺”得以传承下去, 这导致了美国自由教育思想的持续的“反传统”变 革。爱默生针对美国商业文化的泛滥, 提出注重反思与体验式学习的理念, 为反传统 的传统注入了活力。美国的自由教育仍然在针对新时期的社会流俗作出必要的调整并 将持续下去。 关键词: 自由教育 杰斐逊 爱默生 反传统 The American idea of liberal education does not have a consistent thread running through it. The tradition of liberal education pioneered by Thomas Jefferson emphasized liberal learning and the diffusion of knowledge, but its object was still elite education. However, the inheritance of its core ideas of “freedom of speech and useful skills” led to sustained “anti- traditional” changes in American thinking about liberal education. Targeting the excesses of American business culture, Ralph Waldo Emerson proposed focusing on reflection and experiential learning, injecting new life into the anti-traditional tradition. American liberal education is still making necessary adjustments to the latest trends of our new era, and will continue to do so.