錢(qián)學(xué)森系統(tǒng)談話(huà)：國(guó)家要培養(yǎng)會(huì)動(dòng)腦子的科技創(chuàng)新人才（下）
Qiang Xuesen talks: The nation should cultivate talents engaging in scientific and technological innovations (II)
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| 加州理工學(xué)院給這些學(xué)者、教授們，也給年輕的學(xué)生、研究生們提供了充分的學(xué)術(shù)權(quán)力和民主氛圍。不同的學(xué)派、不同的學(xué)術(shù)觀點(diǎn)都可以充分發(fā)表。學(xué)生們也可以充分發(fā)表自己的不同學(xué)術(shù)見(jiàn)解，可以向權(quán)威們挑戰(zhàn)。過(guò)去我曾講過(guò)我在加州理工學(xué)院當(dāng)研究生時(shí)和一些權(quán)威辯論的情況，其實(shí)這在加州理工學(xué)院是很平常的事。那時(shí)，我們這些搞應(yīng)用力學(xué)的，就是用數(shù)學(xué)計(jì)算來(lái)解決工程上的復(fù)雜問(wèn)題。所以人家又管我們叫應(yīng)用數(shù)學(xué)家。可是數(shù)學(xué)系的那些搞純粹數(shù)學(xué)的人偏偏瞧不起我們這些搞工程數(shù)學(xué)的。兩個(gè)學(xué)派常常在一起辯論。有一次，數(shù)學(xué)系的權(quán)威在學(xué)校布告欄里貼出了一個(gè)海報(bào)，說(shuō)他在什么時(shí)間什么地點(diǎn)講理論數(shù)學(xué)，歡迎大家去聽(tīng)講。我的老師馮·卡門(mén)一看，也馬上貼出一個(gè)海報(bào)，說(shuō)在同一時(shí)間他在什么地方講工程數(shù)學(xué)，也歡迎大家去聽(tīng)。結(jié)果兩個(gè)講座都大受歡迎。這就是加州理工學(xué)院的學(xué)術(shù)風(fēng)氣，民主而又活躍。我們這些年輕人在這里學(xué)習(xí)真是大受教益，大開(kāi)眼界。今天我們有哪一所大學(xué)能做到這樣？大家見(jiàn)面都是客客氣氣，學(xué)術(shù)討論活躍不起來(lái)。這怎么能夠培養(yǎng)創(chuàng)新人才？更不用說(shuō)大師級(jí)人才了。 |
Caltech provided scholars, professors, undergraduates and graduates with adequate academic rights and democracy. Different schools were free to express their different opinions. Students could also fully express their different academic understandings and even challenge the authorities. I once talked about my having debates with authorities as a graduate at Caltech in the past; actually, such things are very normal at Caltech. At that time, we studied applied mechanics and used mathematical calculations to resolve complicated engineering problems. Therefore, people called us “applied mathematicians.” But those focusing their study on mathematics in the department of mathematics were usually contemptuous of those of us studying engineering mathematics. These two schools often disputed with one another. Once, an authority from the department of mathematics pasted a poster on a bulletin board at Caltech, asserting that he was going to give a lecture on theoretical mathematics at a certain place and time and everyone was welcome to his lecture. Upon hearing the news, my professor, von Karman, immediately pasted another poster, claiming that he was going to give a lecture on engineering mathematics at another place at the same time and also welcomed everyone to attend his lecture. These two lectures both proved to be very successful. This was the academic atmosphere of Caltech, both democratic and active. We young people benefited a lot from learning there and immensely widened our visions. Today, which of our universities can do the same as Caltech? Everyone is polite when meeting each other and academic discussions cannot become animated. How can such atmosphere cultivate innovative talents, not to mention a mastery of talents? |
| 有趣的是，加州理工學(xué)院還鼓勵(lì)那些理工科學(xué)生提高藝術(shù)素養(yǎng)。我們火箭小組的頭頭馬林納就是一邊研究火箭，一邊學(xué)習(xí)繪畫(huà)，他后來(lái)還成為西方一位抽象派畫(huà)家。我的老師馮·卡門(mén)聽(tīng)說(shuō)我懂得繪畫(huà)、音樂(lè)、攝影這些方面的學(xué)問(wèn)，還被美國(guó)藝術(shù)和科學(xué)學(xué)會(huì)吸收為會(huì)員，他很高興，說(shuō)你有這些才華很重要，這方面你比我強(qiáng)。因?yàn)樗r(shí)候沒(méi)有我那樣的良好條件。我父親錢(qián)均夫很懂得現(xiàn)代教育，他一方面讓我學(xué)理工，走技術(shù)強(qiáng)國(guó)的路；另一方面又送我去學(xué)音樂(lè)、繪畫(huà)這些藝術(shù)課。我從小不僅對(duì)科學(xué)感興趣，也對(duì)藝術(shù)有興趣，讀過(guò)許多藝術(shù)理論方面的書(shū)，像普列漢諾夫的《藝術(shù)論》，我在上海交通大學(xué)念書(shū)時(shí)就讀過(guò)了。這些藝術(shù)上的修養(yǎng)不僅加深了我對(duì)藝術(shù)作品中那些詩(shī)情畫(huà)意和人生哲理的深刻理解，也學(xué)會(huì)了藝術(shù)上大跨度的宏觀形象思維。我認(rèn)為，這些東西對(duì)啟迪一個(gè)人在科學(xué)上的創(chuàng)新是很重要的。科學(xué)上的創(chuàng)新光靠嚴(yán)密的邏輯思維不行，創(chuàng)新的思想往往開(kāi)始于形象思維，從大跨度的聯(lián)想中得到啟迪，然后再用嚴(yán)密的邏輯加以驗(yàn)證。 |
Interestingly, Caltech also encouraged students of science and technology to improve their artistic attainments. The head of our rocket group, Frank Malina, learned painting while studying rockets. He later became an abstract painter of the West. When my professor, von Karman, learned that I knew a lot about painting, music and photography, and was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Science, he was very pleased and said that my talents in these areas were very important, also mentioning that I was better than him in those areas. This was because he did not have the favorable conditions as I did when he was young. My father, Qian Junfu, knew a lot about modern education. He encouraged me to learn science and engineering in order to help strengthen our nation through technology; yet, on the other hand, he sent me to learn the arts, such as music and painting. I was interested not only in science, but also in the arts and read a lot of books on artistic theory. I had already read “Art Theory” by Georgi Valentinovich Plekhanov when I studied at the Shanghai Jiaotong University. Such artistic attainments deepened my understanding of the poetic beauty and philosophy of life in those artistic works, and I learned a large span of macro-thinking in images of art. I think those things are very important to inspire one’s creativity in science. Scientific innovation cannot just depend on meticulous logical thinking. Creative thoughts usually start from the thinking of images, followed by enlightenment through large span thinking, and then finally proving the creative thoughts with unassailable logic. |
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