Is reading from a philosophical perspective the same thing as not being able to understand it?

When it comes to reading, I appreciate what the late Ming scholar Zhang Chao said in "Youmengying": "Having time to study is called blessing. Having the strength to help others is called blessing. Having knowledge and writing is called it. "Blessing." Students in school generally don't feel this, and they complain that teachers assign so many "required readings", which is really "inhumane"; after you go out of school, you are busy all day long, and then you realize that you have time, It is indeed a blessing to have the energy and mood to study "freely".

I wanted to say that "you must study to be successful in life", but I was afraid that my classmates would misunderstand me and say that I had healed my scars and forgot about the pain. I deliberately concealed the bitterness of studying hard in Qingdeng, and did not talk about not being able to watch football matches on the eve of the exam. Pain, not to mention the embarrassment of "losing fans" or "being eliminated". Okay, let’s change the angle and explore the feeling of reading. Is it beautiful, painful, serious, happy, or is it a mixture of sweet, bitter, spicy and salty? Reading is very happy, but reading is also very difficult. Anyone who only talks about one side is lying. Precisely because reading is a "coexistence of pain and joy", it is challenging but not unattainable - it is not as difficult as building a space shuttle or flying to Mars. Ordinary people can achieve it as long as they are willing. Therefore, I say that reading is "really fun". It’s fun.”

Eight years ago, I talked about "reading as a way of life" and said that most "essays to encourage learning" from ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, were untrustworthy. It’s not that I can do it if others can’t, and I can’t do it either. The problem is, knowing clearly that the effect of "encouraging learning" is very limited, why are so many saints and sages still enjoying it?

To persuade people to study, using "golden house" and "face like jade" to seduce people is very tacky, but it is also very practical and effective. During the "Cultural Revolution", I worked as a private teacher in the mountainous areas of eastern Guangdong. Children in rural areas did not like to study and often dropped out of school, so I had to visit their homes. This is how parents teach their children: You must study hard. If you read well, you will be like your teacher in the future and will not have to work in the fields. In the early 1990s, I returned to the mountain village. My colleagues in the early years told me that today’s parents have changed their minds: you must study hard; otherwise, you will be like your teacher, unable to leave the mountain village. Those parents who teach their children to "study well" may not know "Poems to Encourage Learning", but the idea is the same.

The question is, some people study a lot and are very successful; some people study a little and are very successful; some people don't study at all, but they still make a lot of money, and even become emperors. As a teacher, how do you explain to your students: Many "successful people" in China today have very low academic qualifications, but they have countless doctors, professors, and academicians surrounding them. Those who have "cantilevered heads, cones, and thorns in the buttocks" are always "talented but not recognized", or even "talented" are not "appreciated". No wonder they get angry when they think about it. In fact, various famous sayings about reading that have been recited from ancient to modern times are aimed at specific groups of people in specific eras (scholars, literati, powerful ministers, emperors). Even if they have some truth, they cannot be fully believed. "Opening books is beneficial" is the slogan of various reading festivals. It needs careful consideration - why open books, what books to open, how to open books, and what is the effect of opening books? When talking about reading, I prefer to first ask the "student" about his age, occupation, state of mind, goals, etc., and then "give an explanation." For example, Wang Guowei's "Three Realms Theory" is only suitable for experts and scholars to preach to the public in the square. They cannot understand what "climb a tall building alone" and "the lights are dimming".

In contemporary China, there is still a very thorny problem: reading good books may not necessarily lead to a good future. Faced with the "uselessness of reading" theory in this new era, as a teacher, you have to respond. I have repeatedly criticized the "university enrollment expansion" that has been implemented for more than ten years. What really makes people feel troublesome is not the "decline in teaching quality" that professors are worried about, but the increasingly difficult employment of college students, which will affect the "stability and unity" of the entire country.

How is the situation now? According to the "China Statistical Yearbook 2012", the number of students enrolled in ordinary colleges and universities was 856,000 in 1978. Twenty years later, it increased to 3.49 million. Enrollment began to expand the next year, and ten years later in 2008, the number increased to 20.21 million. As of the end of last year, the number of students enrolled in general colleges and universities was 25,365,647. We only say that it is a good thing for more people to go to college, but the pain of college graduates unable to find jobs has not been really paid attention to. It is impossible for the government of any country to guarantee the employment of all college students - unless it returns to the era of planned economy; but if there are a large number of college graduates who are unable to find jobs in a society, the society will be very unstable, or very dangerous. .

"Professionalization" and "Amateurness"

After the spread of Western learning to the East in the late Qing Dynasty, our entire education system has changed, and the world's imagination of "learning" is also very different from before. Same. It used to be said that scholars should be erudite and thoughtful, as the saying goes, "It is the shame of a Confucian to not know a thing." Now, specialization has become mainstream. Related to this is the Chinese people's blind worship of "highly educated people." In the past, all you needed to find a job was to graduate from college. Nowadays, all you need is a master's degree, a doctorate, or a postdoctoral fellow. This kind of selection perspective is a bit snobbish, but it is not unreasonable. Because in today’s world, “professionalization” is a major trend.

Max Weber gave a lecture titled "Academia as a Career" to young students at the University of Munich in Germany in 1919. This lecture influenced several generations of scholars and is still closely watched today. In his speech, Weber had this to say: "Academics have reached a stage of unprecedented specialization, and this situation will continue. Whether in terms of surface or essence, only through the most thorough specialization can individuals have the ability to Confidence in achieving some truly perfect achievements in the field of knowledge"; "Only rigorous specialization can enable the scholar at one moment, probably the only moment in his life, to believe that he has achieved a truly lasting achievement. , any truly clear and valuable achievement must also be a professional achievement.”

Nearly a century later, Weber's assertion remains valid. To this day, “unprecedented specialization” remains the mainstream idea in academia. Of course, if this kind of "professionalization" is emphasized to the extreme, it will have great disadvantages. Especially for humanities scholars, it may limit their academic vision, may also affect their comprehensive judgment, and may even dissolve the social care they should be responsible for. Therefore, Said’s statement must be introduced.

Edward Said said in his book "On Intellectuals" that among the "four pressures that challenge the integrity and will of intellectuals", the first is "professionalization": "Today The higher you climb in the educational system, the more you are restricted to a rather narrow field of knowledge." The author hopes to "counter this pressure with what I call amateurism, that is, to be "uninterested in profit or reward." "I only engage in academic research for the sake of love and indelible interest."

The Chinese have a wonderful saying about how scholars can transcend the limitations of specific majors, called "liberal arts", which corresponds to "specialization". Different from "literati" and "experts", they do not have nowhere to go, but "have expertise but are not limited by it". If you have received higher education, then, whether you are studying in school today or going to work after graduation, the biggest dilemma is probably how to maintain the necessary tension between "professionalism" and "amateurism."

Faced with this dilemma, there are three options: the first is to "turn a deaf ear to what is happening outside the window and only read professional books" and go straight to the academician or the Nobel Prize; the second is to be free Reading does not seek to be knowledgeable, but pursues the comfort and comfort of life, with no intention or inability to become a professional; the third way is to want to become an outstanding expert while retaining the pleasure of reading - this third way is the most difficult but also the most worthwhile Expectations. Wandering between "professionalism" and "amateurism" is a lifelong matter; as for the period of study, you can have priorities, but I do not advocate prematurely abandoning certain "the meanings of the questions."

As for the entanglement between "professionalism" and "amateurism", there is no unified answer; as a scholar, you must face this dilemma seriously. All discussions about "reading" should actually be targeted: compared with the trend of exclusive emphasis on natural science, we emphasize the significance of humanities; compared with overemphasis on test scores, we highlight humanistic accomplishment; compared with experts showing off their professionalism, we emphasize To flaunt the interest in reading; as opposed to the condescending moral education, we emphasize the considerate nature of humanistic education; as opposed to the utilitarian reading that advances rapidly, we advocate "sneaking into the night with the wind, moisturizing things silently". Why do this? Because in my opinion, in China today, when it comes to the "enemy of reading", the first one is excessive "utilitarianism".

"Problematic" and "Interesting"

It is also "reading", with two different attitudes and goals: one is to study relevant courses in college and prepare to get a degree. Bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees; the second is extracurricular learning, self-taught, or free reading after leaving school. The biggest difference is that the latter does not need to be "step-by-step", and there are no assessment indicators in terms of "progress" or "effectiveness".

Whether you are willing to read is one thing, and whether you can read is another.

Some people have been studying for a lifetime, working diligently, but they have not gained much, and they cannot even show a bit of "bookishness". Why? There are many reasons, and the most likely reason is that the method is wrong. According to my observation, most people who can read have obvious "problem awareness". Know why you are reading, where to start, how to unfold, and how to travel through thousands of mountains and rivers.

For those who have completed basic training or walked out of school, only by "learning with questions" can you choose the right target, concentrate your energy, maximize your enthusiasm for reading, and easily achieve results. , encourage you to keep moving forward.

For "non-professional" people, it is more effective and interesting to choose a topic related to their own work or a topic that they are particularly interested in, and then explore it from top to bottom. In August 1922, Liang Qichao was invited to give lectures at the summer school of Southeast University in Nanjing. He gave a lecture titled "The Interest of Learning". It is mentioned that "you must always live in fun to make life valuable"; and the things that can most arouse fun include work, games, art, learning, etc. I believe that among all life situations, "reading" is relatively easy to "start with fun and end with fun". In recent years, I have discovered an interesting phenomenon. Many retired people study hard because of their faith, investment, travel, and collection, and they have learned a lot. There is no pressure from exams, and I don’t want to become an expert. I just like it, and even become obsessed with it. In the words of Zhang Dai in the late Ming Dynasty, only those with idiots, flaws and quirks are cute because of their "true temperament." The same goes for reading. No matter what kind of books you like to read, as long as you can read them for fun, it is a good thing. In my opinion, the fun of reading is much more important than the method and purpose.

"Having problems" forces you to delve deeper; "interesting" means "sustainable development". The two complement each other and reading becomes fun.

"Five Colors" talks about opening the book

Irrespective of whether you are reading a philosophical work or an erotic novel, a physics textbook or a stock trading guide, let's first talk about the dissemination of information or knowledge. Media, that is, are you reading books, newspapers, TV, the Internet, or mobile phones? Chances are you are involved in all five mediums. Facing these five media, which one takes priority and which one is more important is related to the age, occupation and accomplishment of the reader. I reflect on myself. In the past ten years, my time for reading has been significantly reduced. I always devote one or two hours to the Internet every day. I read newspapers and periodicals roughly, TV is optional, and I basically don’t watch mobile phones. I hate advertisements, and I don’t have greeting cards. Popularity, jokes are uniformly produced, and what’s even more terrifying is the anti-corruption warning. As for those who are twenty or thirty years younger than me, they have been exposed to the Internet since they were young, and they definitely spend more time online than me. Perhaps, for them, reading while sitting upright is far less comfortable than reading online. Not all reading materials on the Internet are "frivolous and short". Students told me that many people download difficult philosophy books online. But I know that "downloading" and "reading" are two different concepts. You may work hard to collect, but you don't have time to read.

The revolution in information technology has indeed changed the reading habits of many people. As e-book platforms become more and more diversified, handheld readers become cheaper and more user-friendly, and "immersing yourself in a sea of ??books" becomes easily accessible. You can buy a reader with large storage capacity, rich content, easy retrieval, and a combination of pictures, text, audio and video. You think everyone is "reading", no, it is mainly used for collection or retrieval, and more people are playing games. . The president and editor-in-chief of a large publishing house told me that he originally thought that e-books would become the "terminator" of paper books, but now he seems less pessimistic - most people who "can't let go of the book" still "read carefully and work hard". The standard posture when studying, diving and playing. I am not so optimistic, because most of today’s scholars received education when the Internet was not yet emerging or not very mature, and have basically developed the habit of reading paper books; as time goes by, those who have been exposed to the Internet or electronic books since kindergarten will The book generation has grown into the backbone of society. At that time, it is the critical moment that determines the fate of paper books.

For me, who is accustomed to reading paper books, electronic books or online data are only used for reference and retrieval; as for the next generation of scholars, it is likely that they will follow another path. I have no objection to graduate students reading well-edited e-books, and I even require them to be good at using various databases when doing their research. My only worry is that these five different media, which originally represented different stages in the transmission of knowledge, are now competing on the same stage, leaving college students dazzled and confused as to how to choose.

What I fear the most is that I wander around the Internet all day long, seemingly busy, but actually gaining very little. It’s not just the effect of reading, but more importantly, your mood – facing the overwhelming, diverse, exciting, and out-of-read information on the Internet, can you still keep your composure, concentrate on reading and thinking? To put it bluntly, Chinese scholars today are really "blinding with five colors."

The April 19th issue of "Wen Wei Po", "Thoughts Behind the Reading Survey", stated that according to the 10th "National National Reading Survey", "The mobile phone reading rate of adult citizens in 2011 was 27.6% , an increase of 4.6 percentage points from 23% in 2010, an increase of 20%"; "The average time people spend online is close to the sum of the time people spend reading books and newspapers." We also have to consider that those who read books and newspapers are older, while those who use the Internet are much younger. In the long run, "reading" in the traditional sense will face a big dilemma. Many people understand the dilemma and are dissatisfied with their reading status. The question is, living in the ever-changing Internet age, what should you and I do?

The reason why I emphasize reading books is because reading and thinking are not only about acquiring specific knowledge, but also about broadening horizons, tempering thinking, and developing interest - and maybe it can prevent Alzheimer's disease. disease. Therefore, I still stubbornly believe that "reading" is important and must be taken seriously. In the past, it was said that buying a book is worse than borrowing a book, and borrowing a book is worse than copying a book. Why? Because that kind of intense reading requires all the energy and energy to be mobilized. Nowadays, I move my mouse and scan ten lines at a glance, while listening to music, sipping coffee, and chatting with friends. After developing this reading habit, it is difficult to concentrate on one thing. Today's college students rarely take notes in class. Teacher, can't we just give us the lecture notes? But I understand that taking notes is mainly to force yourself to concentrate, otherwise you will not be able to keep up with your thoughts, grasp the key points, and remember it.

The "ballast stone" of the Internet age

In "Don't Want to Get Rid of Books", Eco has a witty saying: "In fact, the speed of technological update forces us to move in a The unbearable rhythm restructures our thinking habits...it took nearly a century for hens to learn not to walk on the street. They finally adapted to the new street traffic conditions, but we didn't have that much time." The story of hens cannot be tested. But lots of fun. I agree with Eco, excessive pursuit of speed, everything from urban architecture to eating habits to reading tools is "changing with each passing day", which is indeed not a good thing.

In the past, after a series of studies, by the age of twenty or so, people had enough knowledge and experience to last a lifetime - unless you wanted to become an expert in a certain field. People nowadays are so tired. They are constantly learning and never-ending. All kinds of knowledge - especially electronic products - are constantly being updated. If you are not careful, you will fall behind. The elders in the past liked to say: "I eat more salt than you eat rice, and I cross more bridges than you walk." At that time, "experience" was very important, and the old man was very authoritative; now the old man is really pitiful. He has been busy all his life, and when he retires, I have to often ask my children and grandchildren how to use this appliance and what the switch does. Children and grandchildren are very busy, and they find the old man so nagging and stupid, unable to understand such simple things.

Sometimes I think, is it necessary to chase so nervously all my life? There is endless knowledge to learn and endless work to do!

The latest manifestation of my backwardness is my rejection of Weibo. It updates information with 140 characters and realizes real-time sharing. Within a few years of its introduction in China, MicroBlog has spread rapidly across the country. Currently, the total number of Weibo users is approximately 327,000. million, first in the world. So many people ask when they meet: "Are you on Weibo?" It seems that living in today's China, if you don't Weibo, you will fall behind, you will be out of the game, you will have no development prospects, and you will be sorry for this great era.

Self-published, real-time broadcast, short and concise, easy to write, low threshold, huge business opportunities... I believe this, but expressing emotions and expressing feelings anytime and anywhere is not the reason why knowledge and thinking are becoming increasingly fragmented. performance? Originally, it was mainly used to communicate information and connect with each other. Due to China's special national conditions, some people use it to show off their wealth, some use it to fight corruption and expose fraud, some use it to gather popularity, some "share the latest news around them anytime and anywhere", and some " Seize the future of marketing." The most interesting statement is that "Weibo is good for health" - everyone lives a very depressed life, and Weibo can vent dissatisfaction, win attention, and gain confidence, thus sweeping away the gloom, why not for!

I think that Weibo, as a form of expression, is good for entertaining oneself, making friends, and exposing fraud; but it has obvious flaws in style, poor writing mentality, and dubious communication effects. College students and graduate students can play it occasionally, but it would be a pity if they indulge in it all day long, busy writing and reading, without considering how much time and energy they spend. Because I am concerned about the significance of such a prosperous Weibo to the construction of Chinese culture. Many people rejoiced because "on Weibo, the one hundred and forty-digit limit has brought civilians and Shakespeare to the same level." Is such an emphasis on grassroots a good thing or a bad thing? Equality is achieved, but has cultural creativity really been stimulated? What worries me is that without deep exploration and long-term thinking, too much emphasis on timeliness and maximizing the pleasure of the audience, it will become a way of life and thinking habit over time. And this is a fatal temptation for both scholars and literati. Of course, if it's for public entertainment, that's no problem; it's also very effective for commercial marketing. As for spreading rumors and refuting them, that is even more timely.

The reason why I am so worried and openly express my confusion is that many college students and graduate students in China today enjoy it and regard it as the biggest fashion, overestimating this move. Positive effects on human civilization. In the past ten years, the power of the Internet has grown rapidly. Not to mention the appearance of cities, lifestyles, and even the tone of voice have "changed with each passing day." Young people are so complacent that they ignore potential dangers in reading, thinking, and expressing.

Anyone with a little knowledge of navigation knows that when an empty ship sails, it must be equipped with "ballast stones". Therefore, the center of gravity of the ship is above the water and it is easy to capsize. In my opinion, humanities (literature, history, philosophy, religion, ethics, art, etc.) are the ballast of the entire human civilization. It does not drift with the wind, nor does it necessarily "advance with the times". It plays a corrective role in various fashions and trends, ensuring that this big ship will not completely capsize due to the whims of certain heroes of a certain era. In an era where all kinds of new knowledge, new technologies, and new lives are constantly emerging, please remember to maintain some respect for "tradition." The "tradition" mentioned here also includes the long-standing reading habits of "concentrating on English, chewing on Chinese," and "immersing yourself in reading."

Reading books is a common thing. What needs to be promoted is "reading good books". I am not talking about reading good books, but reading efficiently and deeply. It's not easy. When it comes to "study" in ancient and modern times, no one is more precise than the great scholar Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty. He is considerate and gentle, especially the description of the state of reading. It is particularly vivid and worth recommending to everyone: "It must be a mark with a stick, a slap with blood! This is how you should treat human writing, how can you ignore it?" You must keep your spirits up, just like putting out a fire and curing a disease, like trying to get on a boat. "Stick up your spirits, build up your muscles, and don't be sleepy. It's like having a sword behind you." Not all books are worth it. This is the way to read, but if someone has never read in this way, he must not be a qualified "scholar".

Finally, I suggest you read a few good books seriously, using them as a foundation, a yardstick, and a spiritual support. In the past, it was always said that "read more and read good books". From my experience, if you pursue the quantity and speed of reading, you are likely to "read poorly". The younger generation who grew up on the Internet can easily develop the habit of browsing, which is what Zhu Xi said, "It seems like you have not seen it even if you have read it, and it seems you have read it even if you have not read it." Therefore, I advocate reading less, slower and more intensively. The world is so big and full of strange things. There are many things you don’t know, understand and appreciate. It’s not surprising at all. In my article "Standing to One's Own Standpoint on Reading," I said: "Based on one's own stand, you can consciously close certain channels, reject certain information, forget certain knowledge, and resist certain trends. Only then can you live a 'wonderful life'." 'Come.

"This is my basic position on "reading".