On Newman's 《The Idea Of A University》

Higher education, as an important part of education, has a direct effect on a nation's development. The reformation and adjustment of higher education can make all the .aspects of society produce the corresponding reactions. So the country must adjust and reform the higher education carefully and boldly. This is a dilemma, but it must be resolved. Now there are many experts and scholars from all the fields, e.g. socialist, psychologist, educationist, philosopher and economist etc. who put forward their own viewpoints and ideas from different angles and different levels.John Henry Newman (1801-1890) who lived in England issued 《The Idea of A University》that was the foundation of higher educational development. Learning Newman's higher educational thought may provide necessary help for our researching higher educational formation, change and evolution.This article is made up of three parts:The first part mainly analyzes the historical setting, background characteristic of times and the reasons, which caused Newman's educational thought takes shape. In this part, there are four divisions: economical factors. The First Industrial Revolution was at the high hours when the economy developed fast, the new stratum began to go up who demanded earnestly that the society should have a worldly education; political factors. Comprehensive national power was strengthened; England began to rob other countries cruelly. They needed a quantity of scholars who is specialized in army* ocean and astronomy etc. Educational factors. In 1810 Bolin University set up which gathered teaching and researching. At the same time, there are mainly two big disputations on university education in England. Last religious factors.The second part introduces major the outstanding contents of Newman's《The Idea of A University》.It includes: implication of university. Newman regarded university as a place of teaching universal knowledge. The university is quite different from institution. Aim of university. Religious aim, training intelligence aim and common aim. University teaching, university learning and what they should teach in university.The final part mainly makes a comparison with Von Humboldt, Kerr. And the author points their differences and the same about the higher education. Through the analysis, we think their thinking came down in one continuous line. At the same time,we analyze, evaluate their thought and some inspirations to our modern social higher education. Here, we only lay stress on the teaching and scientific research, university curriculum, learning methods etc.