Interaction Between Belief And Rationality

The Song academies and medieval colleges are like two shining pearls in the east and west history of higher education. They both have made an outstanding contribution to the development of colleges in the east and the west. If we make a delicate comparison between them of their cultural roots---the east and west religion and their interaction, it will help us understand the development characteristics of the east and west education and their great influence on modern universities. This paper tries to make an analysis of their similarities and differences from a religious perspective, so that we may find out the deep cultural connotations of the east and the west.This paper is divided into four parts.The first part gives a brief introduction of the Song academies and medieval colleges against their cultural background, that is the traditional Chinese culture combined with Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and the Western culture based on Christianity.The second part, as the most important part of this paper, makes a comparison of the similarities and differences between the Song academies and medieval colleges from the angle of religion. As to their similarities, it makes an analysis of the influence of religion on the Song academies and medieval colleges in the perspective of their origin, address, teaching contents, school principles, ways of management, and attitude to religion. With regard to their differences, it analyzes their differences in the relation of rationality and belief, faculty, study style, cultural exchange and religious means of intervention.The third part provides summaries of the influence of Buddhism and Taoism on the Song academies, and Christianity on medieval colleges. It points out that Buddhism and Taoism compromises with Confucianism by drawing upon Neo-Confucianism of the Song academies. The rational cultivation of medieval colleges made a contribution to the birth of Protestantism and produced a large number of Protestants and religious reformers. Medieval colleges, to some degree, gave birth to the religious reform movement.The fourth part comes to a conclusion that discusses what enlightenment the Song academies and medieval colleges can provide us under the influence of religion. It points out that we should persist in keeping the initiative in our own hands and incorporating the factors of other cultures and bring the religious function of education into full play.