创新与东西方文化

Synergy of East and West for greater creativity 潘国驹教授 Prof K. K. PhuaThe 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 creative thinking,their influences are equally significant.For the past couple of years, the Singapore government is actively encouraging and promoting creativity at the sametime as it is improving the education system. Some recent media reports in Hong Kong were also of the view that perhaps creativity is more important than the development ofhigh 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 technological, cultural and historical perspectives.As an Asian country, we are naturally concerned about the relationship between the history and culture of the Eastand creativity. In the East, especially in East Asia where Chinese culture was the mainstream, there were many illuminating examples of creativity 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 Period, the WarringStates 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 onlycreated a favourable milieu for the advancement of science and technology, it also laid the foundation for 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 issuefor us to ponder over. Throughout its history, Chinese culture has two obvious 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 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 effectsof Eastern and Western cultures on creativity.The feudal period in Europe was, by comparison, 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 Enlightenmentand the Industrial Revolution that followed caused a tumultuous transformation in Europe. Shaking off its feudal shackles in ideology and social systems, Europe created a brave new world for itself. Under such circumstances, Europeproduced many new creations and inventions in the realms of art, science, music, architecture and so on. In the last 200years, 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. 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 comparison, 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 20thcentury, Prof Yang Chen-Ning has more than once mentioned the fact that he was an amalgation of Eastern and Western cultures. His new scientific ideas and theories are a resultof 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 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 and its effect on creativity. The characteristics of Western cultureis 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 verify 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 someof these new ideas and hypotheses 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. This trait is manifested in the adulation of individual heroes in Western culture andcreativity. 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 individualism, 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 the basic knowledge stepby step. However, Eastern tradition places too much emphasison 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 nota bad thing for creativity. Another trait of Eastern cultureis 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 situations, 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 creative 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 creativity is a testiment to its far-sightedness. The TanKah 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 new 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、两年新加坡政府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（公元14-16世纪），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