第一篇 Passage I

Synergy of East and West for Greater Creativity

By Prof K. K. Phua

The 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 same time 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 of high 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 East and 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 Warring States 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 only created a favorable 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 hasn’t been a likewise breakthrough for the last 1,000 years. What caused this stagnancy is an issue for 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 begin 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 analyze the positive and negative effects of 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 Enlightenment and 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, Europe produced many new creations and inventions in the realms of art, science, music, architecture and so on. In the last 200 years, the United States created many new opportunities for self-development. Its favorable conditions attracted many immigrants of high caliber, 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 favorable conditions for creativity and inventiveness.

There is a difference in understanding and definition 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 20th century, Prof. Yang Chen-Ning, has more than once mentioned the fact that he was an amalgamation of Eastern and Western cultures. His new scientific ideas and theories are a result of the clash of Eastern and Western cultures and the resolution of this conflict. Whether it is Hegel’s idealism or Engel’s 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. Yang’s 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 cultures are 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 some of 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 and creativity. The individual’s 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-centered 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 emphasizes building a solid foundation, and then building up the basic knowledge step by step. However, Eastern tradition places too much emphasis on 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 not a bad thing for creativity. Another trait of Eastern cultures is 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 multifaceted. 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 government’s active encouragement of creativity is a testament to its far-sightedness. The Tankah Kee Young People’s 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-à-vis the West.

课文词语 Words and Expressions from the Text

synergy 协同作用；协力优势

the contention among 百家争鸣

the Hundred Schools of Thought

milieu 环境；周围

stagnant 停滞的；迟钝的

trait 显著的特点；特征

ethical code 道德准则

entrench 以壕沟防护；保护

backdrop （事件的）背景

the Enlightenment （18世纪欧洲的）启蒙运动

spur 鞭策；刺激

tumultuous 骚乱的；混乱的

caliber 能力；才干

amalgamation 融合；合并

Hegel’s idealism 黑格尔的理想主义

Engel’s materialism 恩格斯的唯物主义

converge 会聚；趋于一致

glean 收集；搜集

hypothesis 假设

meticulous 小心翼翼的

debunk 揭穿；暴露

adulate 谄媚；奉承

rote 死记硬背

humility 谦逊

come by 得到

multi-faceted 多方面的

vis-à-vis 和……相对的，同……相比的