清季「天文算學館」籌設爭議中的保守性思想分析

Abstract

清季自強運動的成就有限，其中的因素非啟於一端，本文嘗試以自強運動期間一項重大的新政措施，即同治六年(1867)「天文算學館」的籌設，所引發的爭議為中心，對於這一場爭議中正反兩造的言論進行思想層面的分析，從中探討幾位足以左右自強運動的關鍵人物的思想特質，以說明此一運動發展的局限。本文著重分析兩種保守性思想：道德理想主義與文化上的民族優越感。這兩種保守性的思想，就中國思想史的研究而言，固然並無新義可言，但是，本文的重點本不在於揭櫫這些思想的哲學內涵，而是在說明它們如何在當時的爭議中具體地呈現並發生作用。更詳細一點來說，乃在藉由道德理想主義所常使用的兩種論調：德治說、本末說；以及文化上的民族優越感所常呈現的兩種心態：「中法」媲美「西法」論、對西化的疑慮與警戒，來說明這兩種保守性思想如何一方面呈現在反對「天文算學館」籌設的保守派人士的言論中，另一方面卻也反映在推動「天文算學館」籌設的改革派人士的言論中，從而構成他們推動新政的心理障礙，以至自強運動的發展有所局限。

The reasons for the limited achievements of the late Ch’ing Self-Strengthening Movement are various. This study takes the debate on one of the most important proposals of the movement as an example: the proposal for the establishment of a school of astronomy and mathematics. It analyzes the thought and opinions of some of the main participants from both sides of the debate, who were also key politicians in the period. My study highlights the conservative elements in the thought of these participants, which in my view are part of the reason for the failure of the Movement. The two main conservative ideas identified are moral idealism and cultural nationalism. These two ideas certainly are not new with regard to the study of Chinese intellectual history. I therefore do not intend to do a philosophical investigation on them. However, it is worthwhile to explore how they embodied and functioned in the debate. To be more specific, in this study I will explain how these two ideas were usually presented as theories regarding morality as essentially important in politics (‘te chih shuo’), as a metaphor of root-branch polarity (‘pen mo shuo’), as a belief in the equivalence between Chinese methods and Western methods, and as a worry and call for alertness about Westernization. They functioned to support the of the school of astronomy and mathematics and, more importantly, we will study how they reflected on the minds of the promoters and functioned as psychological obstacles for them to straightforwardly promote the Self-Strengthening Movement.theories behind the opinions of the opponents of the establishment