How to choose a topic?
The "selection" of "topic selection" refers to the choice. Choice is the behavior of the subject and the outstanding performance of subjectivity. The subject is a subject because he or she has a specific purpose. The essential stipulation of subjectivity is the purpose. A aimless person is not the subject.
With a certain purpose or value goal, he or she will only face the problem of choice, that is, it is meaningful to choose a topic that can or can best achieve his purpose. Therefore, he (she) should and must pay attention to reality in order to find major or common problems in reality, but it has not yet been determined. With such problem consciousness, we can choose a good topic with certain significance.
Choosing a topic is very important because it involves the value of the paper to be done, but not choosing a meaningful topic can ensure the value and quality of the paper. The value and quality of a paper also depends on its specific research methods.
In terms of material civilization, the substantial progress of human civilization is the progress of production tools. The progress from primitive society to civilized society, at least in China, is reflected in the leap from stone tools to bronzes, especially ironware. Then there is a leap from iron to big machine, and then from big machine to computer ... So is the progress of material civilization, and so is the progress of human thinking, which is essentially only the progress of thinking tools. The so-called thinking tool is an academic research method in the academic sense. The essence of academic progress is the progress of its research methods.
Methods depend on ideas and concepts, and what kind of ideas and concepts will have what kind of methods. The progress of methods is essentially the progress of ideas. Without the renewal of ideas, there can be no innovation of methods.
How to innovate or change ideas and concepts? For a certain discipline, the renewal of ideas and thoughts depends on the study of meta-theory (such as philosophy) of the discipline. For example, if we want to make a breakthrough in philosophical research methods, we must study the changes of philosophical concepts at home and abroad, especially at home and abroad today, so as to form our own unique philosophical concepts, and then take this concept as a guide and take it as a vision and perspective to study specific topics.
The study of history (including the history of philosophy) is nothing more than the study of some historical texts or historical materials. This kind of research is essentially an understanding of historical texts or historical materials.
The premise of "understanding" is "rationality". Only with "reason" can there be "solution"; Without reason, there is no solution.
What is this "reason"? It is equivalent to Aristotle's "form". This "form" is not only the goal pursued by "materials" (historical texts or historical materials), but also the power to promote it. Here, as the "form" of its purpose, it is the purpose or value goal mentioned above when discussing the topic. In this sense, no purpose means no "form", no "reason" and therefore no "solution". Since there is no "understanding", there is no study of history (including the history of philosophy).
In fact, not only the study of history (including the history of philosophy), but all other academic studies are also the understanding of certain materials or materials. This is true of humanities, and so is natural science. The study of natural science is also the understanding of some materials (experience about natural phenomena).
As far as China's philosophy is concerned, the relationship between "form" and "thing" is also the relationship between "reason" and "qi". According to Zhu's explanation, principle belongs to Tao and qi belongs to qi, and the relationship between them is the relationship between Tao and qi. Zhu's concept of regulating qi is "regulating qi first", that is, the purpose of research is the forerunner of academic research activities. Gu believes that "Tao has nothing to do with the device", that is, the research purpose cannot be separated from the research object; The purpose of leaving the research object is empty; The purpose of research must be embodied in the research object, or the will of researchers should be embodied in the research object. In other words, academic research is essentially to transform the research object in the subjective field. This transformation activity is actually a process for researchers to realize their ideals. This means that without ideal researchers, it is impossible to achieve any research results.
Therefore, to write a good doctoral thesis, we must first have certain ideals. The so-called ideal here is the so-called "form" mentioned above Only when you have lofty ideals can you write high-quality papers.
The problem now is that doctoral students generally lack ideals, that is, they lack "form" in academic research, so when writing doctoral dissertations, they usually blindly "process" some "materials". Their "products" naturally cannot reflect the purpose of the "producer" and his or her value orientation. Because of this, these "products" have no clear "use", but only dispensable things.
However, where does the ideal come from? Starting from the sense of responsibility for the nation, the country, the society and mankind! Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world! Without a sense of responsibility for the world, there can be no ideal things; Without ideals, of course, there is no "form" in the academic sense, and there is no scholarship.
The most important thing is that the theme of the paper is essentially the way to be a man. Without the method of being a man, his thesis is empty, even if there is a theory, it is empty without reality, and there are words that are empty without quality.