“类型”抑或“层级”：高校分类发展的元研究 ——基于概念哲学的考察-清华大学教育研究

文章信息/Info

Title:: “Type” or “Level”? A Meta-Study on the Development of University Classi?cation: An Investigation Based on the Philosophy of Concepts

Author(s):: WU Shi-tao ZHANG Ying-qiang; College of Education, Zhejiang University

Keywords:: conceptual philosophy; development of university classification; university type; university level

摘要:: 受历史惯性、知识等级观、文凭社会筛选机制等因素影响，高校分类发展存在“类型”与“层级”概念的混用，这导致高校分类沦为高校变相分层。因此，有必要从概念哲学视角对高校分类发展中的“类型”与“层级”概念进行系统考察。从概念分析来看，高校分类发展中的“类型”表现为横向的、功能性的、不可通约的质性差异，而“层级”则表现为纵向的、价值嵌入的、等级秩序的量化差异。两种概念在逻辑上相互区别，但在政策实践中却常发生相互转化。概念澄清为建构纯粹类型学的高校分类奠定了概念基础，也为高校分类发展从“层级掩盖类型”走向“类型摆脱层级”提供了认识论前提。纯粹类型学视角下的高校分类以否定性命题预设为逻辑起点，并以承认平等而非等级承认的类型化评价为基石。

Abstract:: Driven by factors such as historical inertia, the hierarchy of knowledge, and the screening mechanisms of a credential society, the concepts of “type” and “level” are often conflated in the development of university classification. This conflation reduces university classification to a disguised form of institutional stratification. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically examine these two concepts from the perspective of conceptual philosophy. Through conceptual analysis, “type” in university classification denotes horizontal,functional, and incommensurable qualitative differences, whereas “level” represents vertical, value-embedded,and hierarchical quantitative distinctions. Although logically distinct, the two concepts frequently transform into each other in policy practice. Clarifying these concepts lays the foundation for constructing a pure typology of university classification and provides the epistemological prerequisite for transitioning from a paradigm where “level” obscures “type” to one where “type” decouples from “level.” From a pure typology perspective,university classification takes negative propositional presupposition as its logical starting point, grounded in a typological evaluation that acknowledges equality rather than hierarchy.