Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung Vice-Chancellor of CUHK (2010–2017)

8 中文大學校刊 Chinese University Bulletin | 特刊 Special Supplement 就職  I nstallation Bronson Alcott said, ‘Education is that process by which thought is opened out of the soul, and, associated with outward things, is reflected back upon itself, and thus made conscious of its reality and shape’. When the nations talk about economic growth, we must not forget there are still hunger and sickness in even the wealthiest countries in the world. When the world focuses on scientific advancement, food production and prolonged longevity, we should be reminded that ‘the most common disease is not tuberculosis or leprosy, but the hunger for love’ (Mother Teresa). As a comprehensive University, our balance of science and technology against humanities meets the demand in this world. In our University we will continue to uphold human values, to cultivate sensitivity to people’s need and suffering, to educate for appreciation of the arts and music. Tagore reminded us that ‘Our mind does not gain true freedom by acquiring materials for knowledge and possessing other people’s ideas but by forming its own standards of judgment and producing its own thoughts’. Socrates proclaimed that ‘the unexamined life is not worth living for a human being’. Today’s education puts more emphasis on information and skill, less on pursuit of truth and creativity. Too much time is spent on retaining facts rather than critiquing concepts. A lack of training in self-reflection and examination leads to unclarity about goals, wavering of opinions and ends up with loss of direction. Training of a critical mind is a crucial role of higher education. It is embraced in our time-honoured tradition in general education, in our belief in college pastoral care and in our openness to all ideologies and beliefs. Jawaharlal Nehru said, ‘Peace is … indivisible, so is freedom, so is prosperity now, and so also is disaster in this One World that can no longer be split into isolated fragments.’ More than ever, we depend on people we have never met and they also depend on us. The problems we need to solve—economic, environmental, religious and political—are global in their scope and nature. We gradually come to realize that we are all citizens of the world. We need to embrace our Chinese culture on the one hand, but also need to know the challenges of different ethnic groups and other nations. The University’s commitment to research and teaching collaborations with other world-renowned institutions, in provision of student and 奧爾科特說過：「教育是把思想從靈魂解 放出來，與外界事物聯繫，並返觀自省， 從而洞察其真實和形態。」當國家高談經 濟發展之際，大家不要忘記在世界上最 富裕的國家仍然有飢民和病人；當全世 界的目光都放在發展科學、生產食物和 延長壽命之時，請牢記「西方最大的疾病 不是肺癆或者痲瘋，而是愛的貧瘠」（德 蘭修女）。在中大這所綜合大學，科技與 人文齊頭並進，符合世界的需要。我們將 繼續捍衛人文價值、培養學生敏於體察 別人的需要和苦難，以及教導他們欣賞 藝術和音樂。 泰戈爾提醒我們，「單單獲得知識和挪取 他人的意念，是無法令心靈得到真正的 自由；心靈的真正自由，乃源於形成自己 的判斷標準，萌生自己的想法。」蘇格拉 底說：「未經反省的人生，是不值得人活 的。」今天的教育重視資訊與技能，不重 視追求真理和創造力。學生花太多時間 記誦事實，而不是對既有概念反思批判。 不懂得反思自省會令目標含糊，信念不 堅定，最終迷失方向。訓練學生慎思明辨 是高等教育的重要職責，而我們持之以 恆的是：歷久彌新的通識教育傳統，書院 無微不至的關顧，以及對思想和信仰兼 容並蓄的開放精神。 尼赫魯說過：「和平是……不能分割的， 自由亦然。現在，繁榮以至災難也是一 樣，因為這個世界已畛域難分，無法再劃 分為互相隔絕的部分。」我們比起以前更 須依靠素未謀面的人，這些人也要依靠 我們。我們需要解決的問題─經濟的、 環保的、宗教的和政治的─無論就其範 圍和性質而言，都是牽涉全球的。我們漸 漸明白，我們全都是世界公民，不但應致