On The Relationship Between Culture Of Nationality And Universities

If we take the establishment of University of Berlin as the symbol of modern university, we find that all the cultural characteristics of modern universities bear religions with their ancestors early days. As a part of a society, the universities are demanded to serve the need of the times, but how to serve is deeply influenced by cultures or cultures of nationality. The dissertation mainly concerns as follows:Firstly, we focus on the definition、connotation and features of culture of nationality. Culture of nationality represents the cultural state which all cultures interwork with one another and are mainly shaped by traditional cultures. Culture of nationality which bears the characters of stability、oneness、complexity and transcendence, contains the cultural elements of the past and the present.Secondly, classical culture and higher education lay a solid foundation for the relationship between culture of nationality and universities. The traditional cultures which are held in the culture of nationality make cultures of nationality distinctive from each other. The fact that western culture derived from Hellenic culture makes the Hellenic culture one of most important factor of culture of nationality in western countries. Hellenic cultures are distinctive and amazing by their philosophical thought from so many philosophers. Different though the early natural philosophy from the late classical philosophy in ancient Greek, they bear ration in common. The spirit of ration survives and takes on new forms in the Middle Ages and the early modern times. Ration is thought to be the most important factor for the development of science and modernization. But for the origin of western culture, Hellenic culture point the way of western culture to modernization. By the means of cultural renaissances, the Hellenic culture drives the cultural reforms and makes the mutual movement between ration and spirit the right way. The first renaissance of Hellenic cultures in the Middle Ages serve the knowledge needed for the emergence of universities and the second in Fifteenth Century drive the universities of the Middle Ages modernization. In Greek, philosophers carry out higher education activities according to their philosophical beliefs. The Seven Liberal Arts are the main teaching materials, which become the origin of Classical Humanities Education、Liberal Education and General Education.Thirdly, the cultures and universities in the Middle Ages. The cultures of the middle ages are shaped by the Christianity and are a kind of culture of Christianity. If we take the development of culture as the mutual reaction between ration and spirit, the Hellenic culture stay in balance between ration and spirit, the medieval culture is harmonious by the ration and spirit and following the belief, the culture in modern time is divided by the conflicts between ration and spirit. To be specific, all the cultural and mental activities in the middle ages are served for religious life,which mean invisible restriction placed on the development of ration、cultures and universities. As for universities, they are the institutions for training elites for the churches and the countries, they are founded and ruled by the Church and Orthodox. Under the premise of not offending the Christianity, universities are not necessarily hostile to the ration and science.Fourthly, the basic relations between culture of nationality and university are formed. Out of the Middle ages, the Europe moved towards modernization in the early modern times. The renaissance、the Religious Reform and the Revolution of Science broke the cultural unity formed by Christianity, the autocratic monarchy of the kings broke the ruling of secular society by the Church. From then on, the cultures of the nation have their own way^ carrier and supporter. Though the cultures in the early modern times are not the modern cultures, the feudal states are not the nation states, nor are the universities in the early modern times modern universities, all the relations between cultures of nationality and universities are gradually built. Universities in all the countries have to serve for science development、the demand of the countries and be open to more people.In the end, the cultures of nationality and modern universities. Modernization ask for modernity of universities, that is to say the universities have to serve for science development、the demand of the countries and be open to more people. But how to serve for these requirements is determined by the culture of nationality, and because of this, the universities in different countries form different modes of development.To be specific, the universities in developed countries have their own characteristics in serving the basic requirements of modernization. Finally the English and Germany case are displayed to show how the cultures of nationality influenced the modernization and work of universities.