University's Academic Freedom And Its Limits

Since the birth of university, academic freedom is the safeguard which makes value and conditions of academic innovation center possible. From ideation to institution, academic freedom has already been regarded as values of western university. In order to ensure accuracy and correction of knowledge, the behavior of scholars only obey the standard norm criterion of truth, not by any external pressures, such as religious, political, and social institutions, etc. Chinese university system originated in western university system, research on academic freedom in our country started lately. As the advance of modern university system construction, academic freedom as an important content of modern university system has been widely accepted. Research of academic freedom received more and more concern. This study is not only based on limitation theory of the academic freedom, but also the concern of construction of the modern university system. Try to answer the following questions:What is the origin of academic freedom? What challenges in the history of academic freedom in university? Why conflict constantly happen? How to understand the reasonable limit of academic freedom? And how to realize academic freedom in the end.The train of thought:date back to the spirit of academic freedom and review the history of academic freedom in medieval university, establishing the connotation change of academic freedom. Then analyze of the influence of ideology to academic freedom and establish control of social ideology to academic freedom. Under the system of modern university, analyzing the plight of academic freedom, establishing laws, regulations and self-discipline is the guarantee of the realization of academic freedom. In order to establish academic specification is the condition of academic freedom, analyzing the relationship of academic regulation and academic freedom. Through analysis above, what are the internal and external limitations of academic freedom? How to control or constraint academic freedom has become clear. The review to the history and the criticism to academic freedom can make the realization of academic freedom, unified to prevent negative intervention and keep the system construction of reasonable limitation.This paper is divided into six chapters. The first chapter analyzes the definition of academic freedom and the limitation of it from the view of academic circles in which to explain the justification of its limitation and three limitations that effects academic freedom.The second chapter is about the tradition of academic freedom and the limitation. The academic freedom is not only the basic principle of the university, but also the modern expression of ancient idea. The ancient Greek philosophy, Christian ideas and the European political freedom all provide theory basis for academic freedom provides. Academic freedom is rooted in the source of thought freedom, which can be traced back to rational free of the Greek and Roman times. Academic freedom is rooted in history of Christian liberty, Christian persecution theory forced rational fighting for freedom. Academic freedom is rooted in modern European political freedom, which oppose autocracy and centralization. Academic is an activity which on the basis of intellectual exchange, freedom of thought and expression are the outstanding characteristics of academic activities. The thoughts of academic freedom is the heritage in medieval university, as the autonomy of teachers and students, in medieval university developed hard in power struggle and won great privileges, becoming the autonomy of university, In the nineteenth century, German put forward the concept of academic freedom, changing the tradition of western academic freedom from simple thought to idea. The content including research freedom, teaching freedom and learning freedom. The modern university of Germany, especially the thoughts of academic freedom in German universities become a bright star in modern history. The 20th century, the establishment of American University Professors Association issued a statement about principles of academic freedom which marked its new campaign to the institutionalization. During the process of the formation of concept, the concept of university, the institutionalization processes, academic freedom is the ideal to university scholars, in a sense, history of university college is the of academic freedom.The third chapter concerns about academic freedom and ideology. Based on the world is the ideology of world, taking the ideology of the sociology is not a new topic. Since academic freedom come into be, it has always been interferenced by external factors, such as the religious, political factors. In pre-capitalism time, mythology as the core of the religious consciousness is dominate, science and theology are main contents struggle to pursue, In capitalism, political consciousness of nation is dominate, political struggle and academic freedom are the main content. Mainstream ideology represented governing class sustaining the "social order" set boundary for academic freedom. Academic freedom cannot beyond the ideology that presents the able space for its survive.The fourth chapter is about academic freedom and modern university system. The construction of modern university system, its essence is clarifying internal and external relations of students. from the macroscopic perspective, the external environment interfered independent university, the new relationship of university and government required explicit boundaries and transformation of government management concept. The new relationship of university and society required increase the participation of social forces in university. From microcosmic view, internal governance structure needs dealing with the problem academic and administrative relationship, making clear internal power distribution and balance, highly respecting philosophy of professor.The fifth chapter talks academic freedom and academic specification. Academic specification and academic freedom are interdependent to each other. On one hand, academic freedom makes the existence of academic specification possible, on the other hand, the specification internalized in academic freedom, setting up reasonable limitation, becoming the realization of academic freedom. Academic specification refers to the academic researchers in scientific research or academic activities shall abide by the traditional academic specification. Academic specification ensure academic research, and undertake this responsibility profession to society.The sixth chapter is about the realization of academic freedom. It depends on the interference of external ideology and modern university system to the academic freedom degree, as well as the representation of support from ideology, modern university system and academic community. The guarantee of it is determined by setting boundary for ideology and academic freedom, improving modern university system and establishing a justice system of university academic norm.