Scientific Spirit And Humanistic Concern

The cultural criticism advocated by Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), Victorian critic and poet, exerts great influence on the history of western literature and that of western thought. Arnold elaborated on his cultural theory in his masterpiece Culture and Anarchy: An Essay in Political and Social Criticism in 1869 which offered a critical approach to literature and life. Since then, Arnold's cultural theory has been scrutinized from various perspectives, and this dissertation focuses on Arnold's conception of culture, and its connotations.Critics pass different judgments on the connotation of Arnold's conception of culture and its applicability. Some critics hold that Arnold's conception of culture is systematic; it transcends time and class limitations, and is an "intellectual deliverance". But some others are doubtful about Arnold's conception of culture, regarding it as "impractical" and "all moonshine", as a broad, unsystematicconception with little immediate significance.This dissertation, on the basis of close reading of Arnold's writings and related criticisms, attempts to show that scientific spirit, humanistic concern and education are three key points in Arnold's conception of culture. It is argued that scientific spirit is advocated to see the object as in itself it really is, and to think critically so as to grasp the laws of things and gain the knowledge of the general order of the universe. On the other hand, humanistic concern is to discard machinery worship, and pursue harmonious, all-round development of human beings so that everybody is bathed in bliss and happiness. To achieve good combination of scientific spirit and humanistic concern education is an indispensable means.The dissertation begins in chapter one with the exploration of scientific spirit: to render an intelligent being more intelligent. In this chapter Arnold's ideas of "the best that has been known and thought in the world", "disinterestedness" and "touchstone" are analyzed. The dissertation points out that though Arnold did not provide a list of "the best that has been known and thought in the world", "the best" is characterized by a universal spirit shared by people of different times and places. "The best" is an open system, a display of broad-mindedness and a kind of cultural transmission. In this chapter the three means of getting to know "the best", that is, reading, observing and thinking, are also discussed. Concerning "disinterestedness" and "touchstone" theory, much discussion has been done either to refute or to affirm either of them. The present study points out that though both disinterestedness and touchstone have innate defects, and Arnold himself did not succeed in remaining disinterested all the time in his critical career, they are insightful in that disinterestedness asks one to divorce himself from ulterior, political and practical considerations, to be broad-minded and unprejudiced, to avoid personal preference in the presence of great masters and to select an appropriate method. In the meantime, touchstone theory lays emphasis on the edifying and instilling influence of the classics which will enhance the cultural quality and help to reach a higher critical standard after much comparison and practice. It further points out that the attempt to "see the object as in itself it really is" is the essence of Hellenism which, together with Hebraism, is taken by Arnold as the origin of the western culture.The second chapter of the dissertation discusses the humanistic concern at three different levels, individual, social and national. In the eyes of Arnold, to make reason prevail an individual should learn to know himself and triumph his best self over his ordinary self; the three classes must overcome their respective defects and the State should be armed with right reason and perfection. The dissertation argues that Arnold's "best self is only a relative idea and his opinions about the three classes reveal that owing to his experience and class limitation, Arnold was not in favor of the working class. Besides, Arnold's idea of State is both abstract and concrete. It is abstract in that it transcends class, individual interest and is the representative of best self. At the same time it is concrete in that it is commissioned to organize its elementary, secondary and higher education, diffusing through all three classes of English society the ideals of culture.The third chapter examines the agent of culture: education, which aims to know oneself and the world. Though much research has been done by other critics either on Arnold's educational criticism for its own sake or on its influence, education is discussed in its relation to culture in this dissertation. In Arnold's nationwide educational system elementary education should become the instrument of general civilization; more public schools and first-rate universities should be set up with the help of the State. The present study points out that in this system, contrary to Arnold's hope of eliminating inequality by way of education, the three classes are not equal since different classes have different aims. Regarding the educational content Arnold put emphasis on the study of classics, Bible and the humanities. The dissertation reveals that Arnold's insistence on appreciating Bible as a literary work rather than a religious one deserves notice while his preference for the classics and the humanities will undoubtedly overshadow the study of natural science which obstructs the achievement of his culture.The conclusive part recapitulates my arguments and points out that Arnold's conception of culture is thought by some critics to be "impractical", and "moonshine" for the following reasons: first, his culture is inward, growing and becoming instead of outward, having and resting; second, the fact that there is no specific standard for such ideas as "the best that has been known and thought in the world", "best self, "right reason", "know oneself and the world" and the rest makes it difficult to achieve his culture. This part also points out that Arnold's efforts should be affirmed. In a time of rapid industrial development, the majority of the Englishmen were complacent with material wealth and the future seemed to be bright and promising. Arnold keenly sensed the danger of that complacency and provinciality which blinded his fellow countrymen from keeping an objective evaluation of their country and forming a right assessment of the neighboring countries. Though he did not see the truth that free competition might bring about economic crises as Karl Marx did, he was aware of the potential danger of the much-praised slogan "do as one likes", which could easily make the whole nation slip into anarchy. Consequently, to arouse their awareness of the severe situation, he stressed culture which, by means of education, was in pursuit of seeking the truth of things and the harmonious development of humanity. Arnold's conception of culture puts his contemporaries with noble aspirations to a higher plane, and proves enlightening to us today. This dissertation examines Arnold's conception of culture from the perspective of scientific spirit, humanistic concern and education. On the basis of close reading of the text, the dissertation analyzes such important ideas advocated by Arnold as "to see the object as in itself it really is", "the best that has been known and thought in the world", "disinterestedness", "the best self and the State. In my opinion these ideas reveal the breadth and depth of his culture on the one hand and the vulnerability of it on the other hand. This interpretation is hoped to help better grasp the connotation of Arnold's conception of culture and provide deep insights into such questions as the contradiction between his theory of disinterestedness and his practice.