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1、创新与东西方文化Synergy of East and West for greater creativity 潘国驹教授 Prof K. K. Phua The understanding and definition of creativity between the Eastern and Western cultures may differ, as traditional Asian culture is more conservative, while modern culture of the West is more liberal. But in terms of creat
2、ive thinking, their influences are equally significant. For the past couple of years, the Singapore government is actively encouraging and promoting creativity at the same time as it is improving the education system. Some recent media reports in Hong Kong were also of the view that perhaps creativi
3、ty is more important than the development of high technology. Creativity is a very wide scope that covers all fields. Creativity is the driving force behind the development of technology, the economy, the arts and culture. This article attempts to look at the issue of creativity from the technologic
4、al, cultural and historical perspectives. As an Asian country, we are naturally concerned about the relationship between the history and culture of the East and creativity. In the East, especially in East Asia where Chinese culture was the mainstream, there were many illuminating examples of creativ
5、ity and inventiveness in 5,000 years of Chinese history. For example, the invention of paper, gunpowder, printing and the compass. There were also great thinkers like Confucius, Mencius, Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi. But these achievements go back a thousand years, or even earlier in the Spring and Autumn P
6、eriod, the Warring States Period, the Qin and the Han Dynasties. Way back during the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States Periods, the contention among the Hundred Schools of Thought not only created a favourable milieu for the advancement of science and technology, it also laid the foundation f
7、or the various categories of ancient science and technology in China, making it a characteristic of tradition. However, there hasnt been a likewise breakthrough for the last 1,000 years. What caused this stagnancy is an issue for us to ponder over. Throughout its history, Chinese culture has two obv
8、ious historical traits. One is that it had a very long period of feudalism. Only after 2,000 years of feudalism from the Zhou Dynasty right up to the early Republican period, did the class-based society with its strict ethical codes began to change. The second trait is that the Imperial Examination
9、System was too rigid and deeply entrenched. Therefore, when we discuss the issue of creativity, we should take these two traits as a historical backdrop, so as to analyse the positive and negative effects of Eastern and Western cultures on creativity. The feudal period in Europe was, by comparison,
10、shorter. It was followed by over 200 years (14th to 16th century A.D.) of the Renaissance, a movement spurred on by the call to revive the arts of classical Greece. It was a revolution in intellectual thought and inventiveness. The Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution that followed caused a t
11、umultuous transformation in Europe. Shaking off its feudal shackles in ideology and social systems, Europe created a brave new world for itself. Under such circumstances, Europe produced many new creations and inventions in the realms of art, science, music, architecture and so on. In the last 200 y
12、ears, the United States created many new opportunities for self-development. Its favourable conditions attracted many immigrants of high calibre, it was able to achieve many breakthroughs and unearth many new ideas in economics, science and culture, making it the only superpower in the world today.
13、On the whole, the historical circumstances in the West over the past few centuries provided very favourable conditions for creativity and inventiveness. There is a difference in understanding and defintion of creativity between the East and the West. Although Asian traditions are conservative in com
14、parison, and the social climate and ideological make-up of the West are more liberal, each of them has valid contributions towards creativity. The most prominent Chinese scientist in the 20th century, Prof Yang Chen-Ning has more than once mentioned the fact that he was an amalgation of Eastern and
15、Western cultures. His new scientific ideas and theories are a result of the clash of Eastern and Western cultures and the resolution of this conflict. Whether it is Hegels idealism or Engels materialism, they all converge at a common point: the resolution of conflict. Creativity is a multi-level and
16、 complex thought process, involving many different factors. Prof Yangs idea to glean the best from both the East and the West to resolve the conflict is something we should think seriously about. Modern science originated from Europe. Therefore, we must know the characteristics of Western culture an
17、d its effect on creativity. The characteristics of Western culture is reflected in making bold hypotheses followed by the meticulous search for evidence. The basis of science is the experiment. A scientific experiment is to test a hypothetical theory in the laboratory. Not only can the experiment ve
18、rify the soundness of the hypothesis, it can also improve or debunk it. It is due to these cultural traits that Westerners are more used to making bold hypotheses. As a result, many important and revolutionary discoveries were made. The disadvantage of this is that some of these new ideas and hypoth
19、eses may not have solid foundations, but this fault is a minor one where creativity is concerned. Another characteristic of Western culture is the emphasis on individual contribution. Perhaps there may be some historical or religious reasons, but the mainstay of Western culture is the individual. Th
20、is trait is manifested in the adulation of individual heroes in Western culture and creativity. The individuals heroic exploits and contributions are placed above collective effort. The advantage of this is that it can spur people on to greater heights. The flaw is that it results in self-centred in
21、dividualism, which affects creativity indirectly. Up to some level, creativity requires the coordination of all sides. Eastern culture can play a positive role in this. We can look at the issue at two levels: The traditional Eastern system emphasises building a solid foundation, and then build up th
22、e basic knowledge step by step. However, Eastern tradition places too much emphasis on foundations. The insistence on rote learning robbed the initiative to make bold hypotheses about new situations and new problems. In the modern world, a solid foundation is not a bad thing for creativity. Another
23、trait of Eastern culture is humility in learning. The 21st century will witness an explosion of human knowledge and technology. Students can no longer know everything. Under such circumstances, the unique and innovative ideas that creativity requires, as well as the grasp of new ideas and new situat
24、ions, are all difficult to come by. They require the full understanding of the problem, sometimes from the surface to its core, from a superficial knowledge to a comprehensive understanding. Humility and prudence will no doubt prove valuable to such a comprehensive thought process and assist creativ
25、e innovators. The relationship between Eastern and Western cultures and creativity is multi-faceted. We only seek to offer some simple preliminary opinions. Singapore, Hong Kong, indeed the whole of Asia should stress the importance of creativity. The Singapore governments active encouragement of cr
26、eativity is a testiment to its far-sightedness. The Tan Kah Kee Young Peoples Invention Award, set up more than 10 years ago, was suggested by Prof Yang himself. This is to encourage young people to be creative. I believe that if we synergize the essence of Eastern and Western cultures, and seek a n
27、ew direction amidst the clashes and contradictions, we can achieve a greater breakthrough in creativity vis a vis the West. 创新与东西方文化 东西方文化对创新的内涵有不同理解和定义，亚洲传统比较保守 ，西方近代的社会环境和意识形态则比较开明，但两者在影响力方面 则各有千秋。 近一、两年新加坡*在发展教育的同时大力鼓励各种创新活动 。香港近期一些媒体也认为鼓励创新或许比发展高科技更重要。 创新是很广泛的范畴，任何领域都会牵涉到，创新是推动科技、 发展经济及提高艺术文化的主要
28、意念。本文的重点是从科技、文化和 历史的角度来看创新的问题。 作为亚洲国家，我们自然十分关心东方历史文化与创新的关系。 在东方，特别是东亚文化中，主流是中华文化。中国在五千年历史中 有过很辉煌的创新与发明，如造纸、火药、印刷术和指南针，也出现 了像孔子、孟子、老子、庄子这些伟大的思想家。然而这些都是在一 千年以前，甚至远至春秋战国、秦汉时代的成就；早在春秋战国时期 ，学术上的诸子百家争鸣不仅为科学技术的进步创造了有利的条件， 而且奠定了中国古代科技各大门类的体系基础，形成了传统的特征。 然而近千年中都没有类似的突破，是什么因素造成这种停滞不前 的现象，这个问题值得我们深思。纵观历史，中华文化有
29、两个显著的 历史因素，其一是中国有很长的封建时期，二千多年的封建制度自周 代开始直至民国初，等级和礼教森严的社会体系才开始有所转变；其 二是中国的科举制度严格而根深蒂固。所以，我们在探讨创新时，应 将这两个特点作为历史背景来分析东方文化对创新的正面、负面的作 用。 比较而言，欧洲的封建制度历史较短，其后以复兴古希腊文艺为 口号的文艺复兴时期历时二百余年，实则是一次 思想意识和发明创造的革命。相续的启蒙运动和工业革命使到欧洲有 了翻天覆地的变革，尤其是在意识形态、社会制度方面大大超脱了封 建束缚，使欧洲呈现出一个崭新的局面。在这种环境下，欧洲在各个 领域出现了大量的创新发明，特别是体现在美术、科
30、学、音乐、建筑 等方面。 在近二百年中，美国因自身发展所需制造了许多新机会，以优厚 条件吸收了大批优秀移民，因而在经济、科技、文化各个方面有许多 重大突破，发掘了不少新意念，使之成为当今世界上唯一的超级强国 。总的来说，西方近几百年的历史环境为创新和发明提供了非常好的 条件。 其实东西方文化对创新的内涵有不同理解和定义。虽然亚洲传统 比较保守，西方近几百年的社会环境和意识形态则比较开明，但它们 对创造发明的积极影响则各有千秋。20世纪科学领域最有成就的华裔 物理学家杨振宁教授不只一次提到他的成就是东西方文化结合所致， 是在东西方文化冲突与矛盾统一的情况下而得到新的科学构想与理论 。其实，无论黑
31、格尔的唯心论或者恩格思的唯物论都强调了一个共同 点，即寻求矛盾的统一。创新是一个多层而复杂的思维过程，牵涉许 多因素。杨振宁教授所谓吸收东西文化优势、寻求矛盾的统一，值得 我们深入分析。 现代科学起源是欧洲，因此我们需要了解西方文化的特点及其在 创新方面的作用，西方文化特点反映在科技方面为大胆假设，细心求 证。而且科学基础重视以实验为主，所谓科学实验就是将这个假设理 论拿到实验室检验。实验的过程不但可以检验其正误，往往还可能提 升或推翻这个理论。正因为这些文化传统，西方人士比较习惯提出大 胆假设，因而产生了许多重要的、革命性的成果，而其缺点是一些新 想法或假设也许没有很好的基础，不过相对大胆的
32、假设而言，这个缺 点在创新发明中是比较次要的。 西方文化的另一个特点是强调个人的贡献，或许这有历史与宗教 的原因。以个人为主是西方传统风格，演变到今日表现在西方文化和 创造发明中往往是制造个人英雄，并将其英雄作风和贡献突出于集体 之上。其好处是启发人的进取心，弊端是导致以个人为中心，间接影 响创新。 创新，到达一定程度之后须要各方面的配合。东方文化则在这方 面会起积极作用。这可以从两方面来看： 东方传统教育强调脚踏实地建立学问的基础，注重将基础知识一 步一步建立起来。然而东方传统中过于重视基础，强调死记硬背，无 形中影响了对新现象、新问题的大胆设想、求证。现代社会中，稳固 全面的知识基础对创新
33、而言并非坏事。东方文化传统另一个特点是强 调做学问的谦虚态度。 到了21世纪，人类知识技术达到爆炸的时代，求学者无法尽善尽 美。在这种情况下，创新所需要的具有独特与新的见解以及抓到新问 题新现象则更为不易，这要求全面了解问题的实质，有时要从表面至 内部，从片面至全面。谦虚谨慎的态度无疑会对这种深入全面的思考 过程有很大帮助，对创新者有直接的帮助。 东西方文化和创新的关系是多方面的，我们只是简单地提出以上 初步的意见，新加坡、香港甚至整个亚洲确应强调创新的重要性，新 加坡*近年来大力鼓励创新发明是高瞻远瞩的。早在十多年前设立 的陈嘉庚青少年发明奖就是在杨振宁教授的倡议下成立的，以鼓励年 轻人具有创新精神。相信如果我们善加结合东西方文化精粹，在东西 文化传统的矛盾与冲突中寻求新方向，应比西方社会在创新方面有更 大的突破。
