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atheist and consequently and opponent of all 因此他是反對任何宗教的。杜威雖沒有深
religion. Though he did not deal extensively 切地研究過馬克斯的經濟和政治理論，但
with the Marxian concepts in economics and 他與馬氏有同樣的出發點，他的學說灌注
government he began at the same starting 於各級學術界中，從幼稚園直到大學。這
point and his theories projected into the halls 顯然與馬克斯學說遙遙地彼此相應，並為
of learning from kindergarten to university 共產學說鋪路。
clearly paralleled the teachings of Karl Marx
and prepared the ground for their
acceptance.

Dewey advocated a complete cut from the 杜威主張我們應與過去完全斷絕關係，他
past. The accumulated wisdom and 認為先人辛苦集聚的經驗與智慧，應予完
experience of the men of past ages must be 全拋棄，我們應重新在現代經驗中，尋覓
wholly discarded and the norm of truth must 真理的新標準。他對真理所作的實驗標
be found in present experience. That which 準，最易向人討好，且令人滿足。杜威說：
is found to be immediately pleasant and 孩子們從小就應教導他們表現自我，而不
gratifying is Dewey’s pragmatic test of truth. 該強迫他們學習接受那些經過時間考驗和
Little children should be taught to express 證明過的事實。自然這種主張是以學生為
themselves and should not be forced to learn 中心，而非以學科為中心。他堅信教育效
any facts tested and proven on the anvil of 果可用實際活動或專門職業性的報導方式
time! The emphasis, then, became student- 來獲得，而傳統的學科和型式的學習，則
centered and he insisted that education was 毫無效用。至於杜威對於社會、哲學、民
to be obtained by “activity rather than the 主政治和自由主義等問題的看法，可以說
mastery of traditional subjects and by 都是他的心理學理的產物。而杜威的心理
vocational and occupational instruction 學遠比詹姆士心理學更為激烈，更傾向於
rather than formal learning.” His approach 左派思想；在本質上，杜威的心理與馬克
to social and philosophical matters and his 斯思想極相近。而杜威學說中最要不得的
views of democracy and liberalism were the 是：他堅持人類沒有而且也不可能有所謂
products of his psychological theories which 的「永恆不變的道德律」，他認為這種想法
were far more radical and farther to the left 會「強迫我們到歷史堆中尋找教訓」。當
than the school of William James (in which 然，任何「回到歷史堆去」的想法，都會
he was largely nurtured) and closely related 使杜威博士感到不愉快的。不過，如果要
to Marxian concepts, in essence. The worst 一位愛國的中國人否定或者蔑視中國先聖
of the bad teachings of this man John Dewey 先賢辛苦經營的輝煌的精神遺棄時，也同
wad his insistence upon the idea that there is 樣會使他大光其火。即使對一位信奉摩西
not and cannot be any “fixed and immutable 十誡的基督徒來說，倘若要他否定十誡的
moral law” because such a view “forces us 永恆價值，或要他接受一種看法 － 去相
to go to the past for instruction.” Of course, 信杜威所創造的現代思想，可以改良基督
any thought of “going to the past” for 教的神聖教誨，也同樣是一件不可能的事。
anything was abhorrent to Dr. Dewey, but it
would be equally abhorrent to a loyal
Chinese to disparage or deny the splendid
ethical values set forth and transmitted by
China’s ancient and revered sages. It would
be equally impossible for the Christian,
schooled in the great Mosaic decalogue, to
deny it perpetual validity nor to accept any
suggestion that the sublime precepts of Jesus
Christ could ever be improved upon by
moderns of the breed of John Dewey.

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