2019哥伦比亚大学开学演讲：当世界面临分崩离析，我们更应敬畏知识、追寻真理！

　　美国东部时间8月25日晚，哥伦比亚大学校长李·布林格(Lee Bollinger)在哥大2023届本科开学典礼上发表讲话。

　　讲话中，布林格校长谈到大学的本质，谈到一所大学所肩负的对社会和世界的责任。面对当前近乎分崩离析的世界，布林格校长表示，追求知识、理性、和真理的价值观将再次得到拥护，获得新的活力。

       哥伦比亚大学校长 李·布林格

　　在一年的校历中，开学典礼比任何场合都更具有意义，更让人感到幸福。这是我们对新加入哥伦比亚大学，新加入这个大家庭的成员们的正式欢迎。

　　学年的伊始总是充满着对未来无限可能的期待与兴奋。但真正令这个时刻格外特别的原因，是我们的办学使命因你们的到来再焕生机。这是我由衷的感叹，在此，我谨代表哥伦比亚大学的全体教员以及哥伦比亚大学，对你们的到来表示最热烈的欢迎。

　　同时，我还想对所有到场的家长们说，我们能明白此时此刻，你们心中所夹杂的复杂情感。骄傲、喜悦、忧惧、焦虑和宽慰，这些情感在这个时刻愈演愈烈，如果我们的开学典礼办得成功的话，它们会在结尾时变得更加强烈。感谢大家成为这所我们热爱并珍视的伟大学府的一份子。

　　在接下来的演讲中，我想要谈谈哥伦比亚大学乃至所有大学的基石：大学是什么，大学做什么，以及大学致力并坚信什么。除此之外，我还会将学术大门外的当今世界中，一些令人忧虑的趋势与大学的宗旨做一个对比。

　　我想在这个时刻——这个属于你们的时刻——分享这些观点，因为进入大学将是你们人生中重要的组成部分，是你们独特人生经历中一块关键的拼图。我想在这里为你们提供一些背景知识，帮助你们在这场开学典礼后，逐渐适应在哥大的学习生活。

　　01大学的本质

　　什么是大学?毋庸置疑，这是一个深刻的问题，远不是一个开学典礼演讲所能解答的。但是，为了达到这次演讲的目的，这是我想告诉你们的。

　　大学关乎知识，关乎寻求真理，关乎揭开生命以及我们赖以生存的自然的秘密，关乎掌握和领悟存在的复杂性。

　　大学的意义不在于盈利，不在于行使权力、制定政策，亦不在于崇拜神祇、社团活动、享受生活、或是建立人脉。这些抱负本身没有问题，大学也不能完全独立于它们存在，但它们并不构成大学的精髓。

　　大学的精髓在于讶异、好奇，在于对纵深我们当下所知的不懈追求。大学总是拥有前进的动力。当然，我们对历史充满敬畏，因为我们是几千年来使人类得以在这片土地上繁衍生息的那一小部分探险家中的代表，但我们总是活在当下，并且在好奇心的驱动下砥砺前行。

　　这才是大学的本质。但关于大学，有另外三点我需要说明。

　　02大学的为与不为

　　第一，我们需要认识到，这种大学的探索精神并不是我们恰巧拥有的自主权利或某种特权的产物。尽管我们是一所私立大学，同时我们也是一所特许公共机构。这也意味着，我们对社会以及全世界，有着深远的责任。

　　从这层意义上说，美国的公立与私立大学差别非常小，它们拥有共同的一种精神，即通过不断推动知识发展来服务于公共利益。这使美国具有全世界最完善的高等教育和研究型大学体系，并为全人类带来不可估量的裨益。我向你们保证，我们对自己的公共使命有着充分和清晰的认识。

　　我想说的第二点，是要求大家在追求真理时必须严格遵循学术规范。在大学里，你必须实事求是，确保你的想法是理性、有逻辑的;肯定他人的观点和贡献，承认异见，做到思想开放包容，同时不忘自省;待人有礼有节，在面对那些与你意见相左之人的时候更是如此。在这里，学术不端会产生极其严重的后果——任何为人所不齿的弄虚作假者、剽窃他人成果者都将付出惨痛的代价，甚至断送自己的学术生涯。因此，想要成为一名学者，必须遵守学术规范。

　　最后一点我想说的，你可能觉得与前文提及的学者风范相悖，其实不然。大学还是一个生活社区、公民社区。因此在教学科研之外，大学也是一个公共舆论场所，是师生每日研讨的所在。这样一来，我们就得遵守言论自由的宪法性原则，也就是说，几乎一切公共议题皆可在此言说(这里我先不展开说明哪些议题除外)。

　　虽然非大学成员无权进入校园发言，然而学生或教员会时常邀请校外嘉宾，这也是他们的言论自由。在哥大，在这有限的公共空间内，我们选择追随国家的意志，坚决保护讨论公共事务的一切声音，哪怕有些言论是危险的、有攻击性的。

　　虽然这个做法颇受争议，但这是我们的选择，而现实更是如此，我们必须学着去面对——我们的生活充斥着“不受限、粗鲁、极度开放”的辩论，我们必须靠自己的声音去驳斥我们反对的意见，不能畏缩逃避。你们若愿意，可以试着挑战那样的现实，但别指望哪一个机构能保护你。而在哥大，保护和应对棘手的言论是我们长久以来的传统。

　　这便是大学。虽然听上去平淡乏味，可事实确是如此。从某种程度上来说，大学的设置和规则不同于外面的世界，它并非与外界分离，但二者确有差异。

　　当然，大学也会受到种种指摘，而这些意见也非常值得注意。大学常被指责过于理想化、过分左倾、惰性太强、与社会脱节、财力太盛、学费太贵、过于压抑自由言论等等。这其中的每一条，我都在许多场合讲过写过，今天就不在此多言。

　　但我承认这些问题的确存在，同时我也想告诉大家，哥大是一所严于自省、不断提高的学府。我们深知全球化视角对教学的重要性，为此，目前哥大在全球设有九个哥大全球中心，致力于协助哥大师生开展学术和教学活动。

　　我们亦知大学应当更加活跃，更加系统，使其研究成果为人所用，从而造福人类。哥大的新项目 —— Columbia World Projects正致力于实现上述目标。今年我们也将继续着力发展，以期拓宽我们的现有工作。

　　除了科研、教育、公共服务这三大目标之外，我们也时常将“学术惠及全球”称为大学的第四目标。今年我们也将特别关注、推动哥大的资源在全球范围内的流动，从而聚焦气候变化造成的后果。面对种种合理或不合理的批判，我们将秉承学术探究的精神，接受批评并乐于改进。

　　03当世界分崩离析，我们怎么做

　　现在，我想暂时把视角从这所大学转移到大学之外的广阔世界。

　　在过去的几年里，我注意到一个危险的趋势正在世界各地酝酿着。现在我们面临的问题是在外面的世界里，尤其在政治领域，一些最基本的原则正在被人们抛弃，而大学的特质正是从这些原则中萌芽的。

　　在当代社会中，我们面临的一个严峻现实是人们对于真理、理性、知识、礼节、庄重和人权越来越失去应有的敬畏。大学应当避免在政治问题上站边，所以我并不想谈论目前在贸易政策、移民、堕胎等问题上的激烈辩论。我所谈论的是我们对于某些事物的关注在不断减少：对寻求和尊重真理，以及在求真的过程中所需要的知识和品质。当任何事情都能被肆意妄言，民主的土壤就会丧失，而当我们失去民主时，大学又谈何生存?毫无意义了。

　　当然，我们还没有走到那一步，但这个趋势是存在的。它定义了这个时代，最重要的是，这将是你们的时代。所以即便是在这个庆祝的场合，我也必须要提起这件事。

　　尽管如此，现在还远不是绝望的时候。一百年前，在近似的社会压力下发生的三件相互关联的事件可以证明。

　　第一次世界大战造成了混乱和破坏，随之而起的是国家间针对不同政治体系的意识形态之争，以及对反对者、少数族裔、移民和弱势群体的偏狭和不公正。在这种情况下，仍有坚信启蒙运动思想的人们投身于修复分歧，弥合异见。他们是我们今日的榜样。

　　与你们最息息相关的就是哥大核心课程的诞生 ，它是哥大本科教育的独特象征。不管人们认为什么应该包含在核心课程里，什么应该被排除在外，当然这是一个长久的辩题，但核心课程的根本目的就是希望每一个学生都能够沉浸在知识和思想的海洋中，了解那些最伟大思想家们如何追求真理，并在与同伴的辩论中，而非通过讲座这类预先知晓的方式，探索生活中那些深刻的问题——这是当世界近乎分崩离析时，对知识价值的再次肯定，再度重视。

　　1919年恰好也是美国最高法院对言论和新闻自由做出现代诠释的一年。这使得美国在随后的一个世纪里成为历史上对思想、言论和新闻保护最好的国家。这也是基于同样的精神，即寻求真理是生活和社会的最终目的。为了达成这个目的，需要在思想上拥有非凡的宽容以及自我怀疑的能力。这也是美国宪法第一修正案带给美国的核心课程。

　　最后，在更广的意义上，一百年前正是现代研究型大学的开端，也是我在演讲开篇总结的所有价值观的源头。如今，哥伦比亚大学就站在这些机构的顶端。而现在，因为这些知识、理性、和真理的价值观正面临解体的危机，公民和机构都站了出来，赋予这些价值新的活力。

　　我说这些话是基于以下几个原因：重申人们做事的哲学原则总是很有意义，对于即将开始大学生活的你们也颇有益处;同时，这在当今时代具有特别的价值和重要性，因为那一股反对的力量正在威胁着这些基本原则;最后在这个时刻，我们应充满感恩，因为在我们日常生活中无处不蕴含着前人为建立和维持这个体系做出的努力。我们也应该认识到这个基础是脆弱但长久的，永远不要把自己拥有的当做理所当然。

　　每当你走进核心课程的教室，或是任何课堂，每当你感受到学习和思考新事物的喜悦，或是参与学校对当今热点话题的讨论，我都希望在你脑海的某个角落里有声音提醒你，这些表象下运作的根本原则以及这些原则从何而来。

　　祝你们好运，欢迎来到哥伦比亚大学。

       英文版：

　　During new student orientation, President Bollinger addressed the students and the families of the Columbia College and Columbia Engineering Classes of 2023.

　　August 25, 2019

　　No occasion in the academic calendar is more meaningful, or filled with happiness, than Convocation—the formal welcome we extend to you, the newest members of our community. The beginning of the academic year is always a time characterized by hope and excitement about the possibilities ahead. But what makes it truly special is the renewal of our purpose by your presence. I mean this, and, on behalf of the entire faculty and the institution as a whole, I want to convey to you our enormous pleasure at your joining us. I also want to say, to the parents and families attending this evening’s ceremony, that we appreciate the complex feelings you are experiencing at this moment. Pride, joy, apprehension and anxiety, relief—these emotions are heightened at this time, and, if we’re successful at this Convocation, they will be made even more intense. Thank you all for becoming part of this very, very great institution that we all love and cherish.

　　I want, in the few moments I have with you tonight, to talk about the fundamentals of Columbia University and of universities generally—what we are about, what we do, what we are committed to and believe in—and to contrast that with distressing trends in the world beyond these academic gates. I want to try to speak you in the moment—your moment, really, for this will be a significant part of the reality in which you will be in college, which is always part of what makes the whole thing such a distinctive life experience. I seek here to offer some context for what will follow after this Convocation, as you settle into the experience of being a student at Columbia.

　　What is a university? This, of course, is a profound question, beyond the range of a small Convocation talk to answer. But, for our purposes now, here is what I would say. Universities are all about knowledge, about discovering truth, about unraveling the mysteries of life and the natural world we inhabit, about grasping and holding in one’s mind the complexities of existence. A university is not about making money or profits, or exercising power, or creating policies, or worshiping a deity, or being in a club, or having a good time, or building a relationship. These ambitions are often—usually— fine in themselves, and universities are not entirely removed from them, but they do not constitute the essence of a university. Our essence is in the sense of wonder, curiosity, and the steadfast pursuit of understanding things better than we know now. There is always a forward momentum to universities. We most certainly have enormous respect for the past, and we are full-fledged members of that little troupe of explorers who have populated humankind over the millennia, but we are always in the moment and moving forward with the strong currents of curiosity.

　　So, this is what we are at base. But there are three important additional points to be made here. One is to recognize that this spirit of inquiry is not the result of some independent right or privilege we happen to possess. While we are a “private” university, we are still a publicly chartered institution, which gives rise to profound responsibilities to our societies and to the world. In that sense, there is very little difference between “public” and “private” universities in America, and altogether the spirit of serving the public good by advancing knowledge over time has resulted in the greatest system of higher education and research universities in the world, with incalculable benefits to humanity. I assure you, we are all fully conscious of our public mission.

　　"Our essence is in the sense of wonder, curiosity, and the steadfast pursuit of understanding things better than we know now."

　　The second point to be made here is the pursuit of truth in universities takes place within a framework of norms and principles that are rigorously enforced and zealously guarded. In universities, you must adhere to facts, commit your ideas to logic and reason, give appropriate acknowledgement to the ideas and contributions of others, recognize counter-arguments and perspectives, demonstrate open-mindedness and a capacity for self-criticism, and conduct yourself with civility and respect for others—especially those with whom you disagree. We know we are extreme in these conditions—any act of brazen falsification or falsehoods or of taking the ideas of others as your own suffers the academic capital punishment of banishment from the scholarly profession. To be a scholar you must situate yourself in these norms.

　　And now the third point about universities—which may seem inconsistent with what I have just said about the norms of a scholarly temperament, but is not, in fact. Universities are also living communities, civic communities, and, as such, we have in addition to research and teaching what in essence amounts to a public forum, where faculty and students can discuss and debate the issues of the day. In this realm, we abide by the constitutional principle of freedom of speech—and that means that virtually anything can be said about any public issue (with some exceptions I won’t go into here). No one outside this University has a right to come onto the campus and speak, but, as part of their free speech rights, faculty and students may invite outside speakers from time to time. And in this limited public forum, within the University, we have chosen to follow the nation and to protect all viewpoints on public issues, no matter how offensive or dangerous they may be. This is, to be sure, a reasonably debatable choice, but it is our choice and therefore a reality of life that we must all learn to live by—one in which there will be “uninhibited, robust, and wide-open” debate, where we must rely on our own voices to reject ideas we deplore rather than shrink from that world into censorship. Challenge that reality if you wish, but do not expect the institution to protect you from it while it stands. Columbia, in particular, has a long and proud tradition of protecting and engaging with difficult speech.

　　So, this is what a university is. It may sound banal, but it is accurate nonetheless. It is by design, by principle, different from the outside world, to some extent—not separate from it, but different.

　　There are, of course, and it’s worthy to note, criticisms of our institutions. Universities, it is sometimes said, are too ideological, too left-leaning, lazy, out of touch with the real problems of society, too rich, too expensive, too suppressive of free speech, and so on. I have written and spoken about each of these critiques on many occasions. I cannot say more about them today. But I do want to acknowledge them, and I do want to say that we are ourselves highly self-critical and always trying to be better at what we do. We understand that we need to take a more global perspective on the world, for example, from the standpoint of our scholarship and teaching. We now have nine Columbia Global Centers spread around the world ready to assist our faculty and students in that effort. We understand that universities should be more active and systematic in making research and knowledge generated here available to those who can use it to benefit humanity. A new initiative called Columbia World Projects is experimenting with how to accomplish this goal, and we will this year be looking deeper into the institution to see what can be done more broadly. We sometimes call this the fourth purpose of a university, how to bring academic knowledge to work in the world, in addition to our mission of research, education, and public service. We will this year also focus specifically on what more we can do to mobilize the resources of the University to focus on consequences of climate change. So, there are criticisms—some are fair, some not—and, in the spirit of academic inquiry, we are always open to criticisms and intent on improving.

　　"Every time you enter a Core Curriculum class, or any class, or feel the exhilaration of learning and thinking something new, or engage in the campus debates on the pressing issues of our time, I hope a part of your mind will remind you of these deeper principles at work and of where they came from."

　　Now, I want to shift from the university to the world beyond the university, briefly. I want to take note of a very dangerous phenomenon that has arisen here and across the world in the last several years. The problem we have today is that there are trends in the outside world, especially the political world, that increasingly reject the fundamental principles on which the very special qualities of universities have been established. It is a hard fact of contemporary life that there is a declining respect for truth, reason, knowledge, civility and decency, and human rights. Universities must refrain from taking sides on political issues, so I am not here speaking about the fierce debates now occurring on trade policies, immigration, or abortion, and so on. What I am speaking about is the lessening regard for what we broadly call the search for, and respect for, truth and for the intellectual framework and character needed for that search to fruitfully happen. When anything can be said and believed, the conditions of democracy are lost, and when democracy is lost, a university cannot survive. It has no meaning. We, of course, are not there yet, but the trend is there, and it is the defining fact of our—most importantly, your—time—so much so that I think it cannot go unmentioned even on an occasion as celebratory as this.

　　All this said, this is not by any means a time for despair. I think this is demonstrated for us by three interconnected events that occurred in times of similar stresses 100 years ago exactly. The descent into chaos and destruction that was World War I, the ideological conflicts around the political systems that created such upheavals in nations, and the intolerance and injustices inflicted on dissenters, minorities, immigrants, and vulnerable populations defined the era in which people who still believed in the validity of Enlightenment values stepped in to repair the breaches. They are role models for us today. Of immediate interest to you is the creation of the Core Curriculum, as mentioned, the singular and defining feature of a Columbia education. Whatever one believes should be included or excluded from the Core, which is, very properly, an ever-ongoing debate, the very idea of a core, of being immersed in a body of knowledge and thought, of being exposed to the works of many of the greatest minds engaged in the quest for truth, not in some pre-digested form delivered through the medium of the lecture, but to be lived with and to be debated and discussed with your peers, the efforts to probe the most profound questions of life—this was a reaffirmation, a doubling down, of the values of knowledge, at a moment when the world seemed to be coming apart at the seams.

　　Similarly, in 1919, this was precisely the moment when the United States Supreme Court began its modern interpretation of the principles of freedom of speech and press, which over the course of the last century that followed has made this country the most protective of thought and speech and press in history. This, too, was premised on the same idea that truth is the goal of life and society, and that demands an intellectual character composed of extraordinary tolerance and a capacity for self-doubt. This was, as it were, the First Amendment’s Core Curriculum for America.

　　And, finally, in a more generalized sense, approximately one hundred years ago was the beginning of the modern research university and all the values I summarized at the outset. And today, Columbia, stands at the very top of those institutions.

　　Then, as now, out of the potential unraveling of the values of knowledge, reason, and truth, people and institutions stepped forward to renew the values.

　　I say all of this for several reasons. It is always valuable to restate the philosophical underpinnings of what one is doing. So, as you begin here, that’s good for you to know. But it is especially valuable and important today because of contrary trends that threaten to undermine those bedrock principles. And, finally, it is good in these moments to appreciate the elements of our daily lives that reflect the efforts of those who came before us to sustain and build up that foundation, to realize that the foundation is fragile but enduring, and to never take what we have for granted. Every time you enter a Core Curriculum class, or any class, or feel the exhilaration of learning and thinking something new, or engage in the campus debates on the pressing issues of our time, I hope a part of your mind will remind you of these deeper principles at work and of where they came from.

　　Good luck and welcome to Columbia.

       以上讲的就是2019哥伦比亚大学开学演讲：当世界面临分崩离析，我们更应敬畏知识、追寻真理介绍，希望能给各位赴美留学的学子们指点迷津。托普仕留学可以为你排忧解难，同时，更多关于赴美留学的相关资讯在等着你，绝对让你“浏览”忘返。在此，衷心祝愿各位学子们能够顺利奔赴自己心目中理想的学校并且学业有成!