Newsletter No. 347

No. 347, 19.11.2009 下回〈十方吐露〉將訪問黃德尊教授 Prof. T.J. Wong will be featured in the next instalment of ‘TEN QUESTIONS FOR’. 預告 Coming 1 你在大學時為何同時修讀數學和哲學？而最後又為何 委身於中國哲學？ Why did you study both mathematics and philosophy in university? And why did you eventually commit yourself to Chinese philosophy? 我高中選讀了理科，但其實自己對文史哲的興趣比較濃 厚，故考進港大就同時攻讀數學和哲學。那時候我學習的 分析哲學，是起源於一些數學家，跟數學很有關連。最後 走上研究中國哲學的道路，與當年的時代背景有關，六七 十年代社會很動盪，發生有很多和國家、社會有關的事情， 所以對中國產生一種熱誠。那時候起已有心向中國哲學 發展。 I studied science in high school. But I was much more interested in the arts. So at HKU, I studied both mathematics and philosophy. At that time I was studying analytical philosophy, which was closely related to mathematics because it was developed by mathematicians. My later switch to Chinese philosophy was due to the social background during the 1960s and 1970s. Those were times of change and turbulence. China and Hong Kong had gone through a lot. We developed a passion for China, and I determined to pursue an academic career in Chinese philosophy before I finished my undergraduate studies. 2 今天唸哲學的大學生，能力和心態與七十年代的有沒 有差別？ How do today’s philosophy students differ from their counterparts in the 1970s? 能力沒有太大差別，心態可能有些不同，因為我們經歷過 六七十年代的動盪，當時的大學生對社會和中國很關注， 而且由於香港還是殖民地，我們有身分認同的危機，因為 拿着英國護照，卻知道自己不是英國人，而是中國人。現在 的社會環境不同，大學生未必有我們三十年前的心態。 They are not different in terms of abilities. But their mentalities may be different. The university students who had gone through turbulent times in the 1960s and 1970s were very concerned about China and local society. And in those days when Hong Kong was still a colony, we suffered from an identity crisis. We had a passport issued by Britain but we knew we were Chinese. Due to different social environments, the mentality of today’s students will never be the same as that of their counterparts 30 years ago. 3 是甚麼促使你辭去多倫多大學士嘉堡分校校長之職， 來中大出任哲學講座教授？ What made you resign as Principal of the University of Toronto at Scarborough and come back to Hong Kong to join CUHK as Professor of Philosophy? 其實我在加州大學柏克萊分校工作，未去多倫多時已有心 回港，但當時希望等兩名子女都進大學，比較獨立以後才 打算。2007年兩名子女都已進大學了，覺得是適當時機， 所以就決定回港到中大任教。 I had thought about coming back to Hong Kong when I was still with UC Berkeley, before going to Toronto. But I decided to wait till my two children were more independent. In 2007 they entered university and I thought it was time for me to move back to Hong Kong. 4 研究、教學與行政，你最喜歡哪樣？ Researcher, teacher and administrator, which role do you like the most? 我最喜歡做研究，教學也很喜歡，因為大學生在校時十來 歲，正值理想和學術思想成形的階段，很需要激勵和啟 發。我在柏克萊擔任行政工作，也是出於對大學教育的 關注和熱誠，希望可以做到一些根本的改變，幫助學生發 展。但暫時主力會放在學術研究，以人文學科的學者來 說，最成熟的階段一般在五十多至六十多歲。我四十歲出 頭已在美國做行政，所以在學術方面是落後了，現階段須 急起直追。 I like research most but I also like teaching. I want to inspire and motivate undergraduates in their formative years. I became an administrator at UC Berkeley due to my passion for undergraduate education and I wanted to make fundamental changes that would benefit students. But now I focus my attention and energy on research. Humanities scholars are in their intellectual prime when they are in their fifties and sixties. In terms of research, I am a little behind because I was an academic administrator in my early forties. It’s time for me to catch up. 5 英美學界研究中國哲學，跟中國學界有何不同？ What are the differences between the approaches to Chinese philosophy research of Western and Chinese academics? 英美哲學研究的特點着重分析，文獻研究可能會逐字分 析，對於哲學問題的研究，分析性也比較重。我早期所受 的是英美哲學訓練，所以這種特點也影響了我做研究的方 向。中國學界研究方法的長處是綜合性比較強，由於在文 史哲貫通了，所以對中國哲學史發展的視野是廣很多。 Western philosophy researchers are characterized by their analytical capability. It’s common for them to do word by word analysis of a text. Their studies of philosophical issues are also highly analytical. I was influenced by this approach because of my training. The strength of the Chinese approach is its integrity. Chinese scholars are well versed in literature, history and philosophy, so they can see the development of Chinese philosophy from a broader perspective. 6 有指香港投放到研究的資源不足，你有何看法？ The Hong Kong government has been criticized for not investing enough in research. What is your view? 對於要靠實驗室的科學研究，研究資源往往有決定性的影 響。人文學科則不同，有同事說：「只要拿幾十本書，一台 電腦，就可以做研究。」當然這是開玩笑。不過，對人文學 科來說，經費主要用於締造激發思想的環境。在美國，人 文學科的研究經費多半用於建立人文學科研究中心，或舉 辦研討會，重點是促進不同學者的交流。 Humanities research is a bit different from laboratory- based research, to which resources are vital. One of my colleagues joked, ‘All I need for research is dozens of books plus a computer.’ In the humanities, funding is used to create an environment that stimulates thinking. In the US, funding for humanities research is mostly used to establish humanities research centres or organize seminars. They are meant to promote intellectual exchange. 7 現階段有甚麼研究計劃？ What is your research plan at the moment? 1988年我在柏克萊當助理教授的第二年，不大滿意自己 做研究的方法，所以就構思了一個計劃，希望以三十年時 間仔細研究中國經典，寫成三本書。第一部 Mencius and Early Chinese Thought 已於1997年出版，第二部主要研 究朱熹，旁及王陽明、戴東原，基礎工作已做好了，希望我 明年初休假時能寫成初稿。第三部則是哲學性的研究，也 已做了不少工夫。 When I was an assistant professor at UC Berkeley in 1988, I was not satisfied with the way I had done research. So I devised a large research project for myself. I planned to conduct thorough research on Confucius thought and write three books within 30 years. The first book Mencius and Early Chinese Thought was published in 1997. The basic research for my second book, which will focus on Zhu Xi, an important Confucian philosopher in the Song dynasty, has been completed. I expect to finish the draft soon. The third book will turn from classical studies to an examination of philosophical themes in Confucian thought. 8 為何特別喜歡研究儒家，尤其是孟子？ Why do you focus on Confucianism, especially Mencius? 儒家思想影響中國幾千年的文化，在中國人社會長大，我 們的價值觀都受其影響。選擇孟子，一方面因為他是早期 重要儒者，與先秦思想家有關連，對後世影響也很大，以 他為重心，我的研究涉獵範圍就會廣很多。所以這是一種 策略。我的第二本書以朱熹為重點，也是同樣道理。 Confucianism has influenced Chinese people for several thousand years. It has shaped our values. I study Mencius because he was an important Confucian, who was related to the pre-Qin thinkers and had profound influence on the later generations of Chinese philosophers. By pivoting on him, the scope of my studies will be wider than otherwise. This is a research strategy. By the same token, my second book will be centred on Zhu Xi. 9 寫作過程有何苦樂？ What are the joys and pains of writing? 苦處是很花精力，很需要耐性。比如寫第一本著作時，我把 《孟子》和先秦二十多本古籍都仔細看了，另加約三十本有 關《孟子》的譯本和註釋。初稿完成後，又把整個工夫重做 一遍，因此很需要耐性。樂趣是這樣做研究做得很細緻， 知道自己出錯的機會小了很多。 Writing is a painstaking task. For example, when I wrote my first book, I went through Mencius and dozens of pre-Qin texts, as well as about 30 works about Mencius and its annotations. After finishing the draft, I did the whole thing again. It requires patience. The joy is that I knew the chance of having erred was slim because I had left no stone unturned. 10 閒暇時有哪些消遣？ What are your favourite pastimes? 現在會定時到大學運動場跑步，注意健康，也是延長學術 生命的方法。另外我在大學時代是合唱團成員，所以也很 喜歡音樂，最愛那時候唱的中國歌曲，如《杜鵑花》、《旗 正飄飄》、《秋夕》、《月光曲》等等；另外也喜歡現代歌 劇，最近更喜歡上粵曲。 I jog at the Sir Philip Haddon-Cave Sports Field regularly. Good health extends academic life. I was a chorus member at university. I like music. What I like most are Chinese oldies. I also like modern musicals. Recently I’ve developed a taste for Cantonese opera. 信廣來 Prof. Shun Kwong-loi