A Historical Reflection on the Development of the Discipline of Ideological and Political Education

“At forty, no doubts” is a phrase from the *Analects*: “Wei Zheng,” meaning that by the age of forty a person has a thorough understanding and clear judgment of life. For the growth and development of the discipline of ideological and political education, “no doubts” is a metaphor for the state of the discipline’s development. This does not mean that ideological and political education faces no real problems or developmental challenges, but rather indicates that as a disciplinary form with distinct Chinese characteristics, its construction has entered a stage of development characterized by clear positioning, stable form, and broad application, possessing inherent developmental stability, sober self-awareness, and mature developmental character. Moving from “standing firm” to “no doubts,” the discipline of ideological and political education has confirmed its unique existence and unique value, opening up a broader academic horizon.

“四十而不惑”，语出《论语·为政》，意指人到四十岁对人生有了透彻的看法、清晰的判断。对于思想政治教育学科的成长与发展来说，“不惑”是对于学科发展状态的比喻。这并不是说思想政治教育学科不存在现实的问题与发展的挑战了，而是表明其作为一门具有鲜明中国特色的学科形态，其建设已迈入定位明晰、形态稳定、应用广泛的发展阶段，具备内在的发展定力、清醒的自我认识、成熟的发展品格。从“而立”走向“不惑”，思想政治教育学科确证了自身的独特存在与独有价值，开拓了更为广阔的学术视野。

I. What Is Meant by “No Doubts”: The Realm of No Doubts in the Development of the Discipline of Ideological and Political Education

一、何谓“不惑”：思想政治教育学科发展的不惑之境

Compared with various disciplines in philosophy and social sciences, the disciplinary establishment of ideological and political education started relatively late. However, due to the high level of attention it has received at the national strategic level, and through “top-down” top-level design, resource support, and coordinated promotion, as well as “bottom-up” concrete implementation, diverse exploration, and practical impetus, the disciplinary form of ideological and political education has basically taken shape and is generally stable, and disciplinary construction has moved toward the “no doubts” stage of high-quality development.

相较于哲学社会科学的诸门学科而言，思想政治教育的学科建制起步较晚，但由于得到国家战略层面的高度重视，在“自上而下”的顶层设计、资源支持、协同推进下，在“自下而上”的具体落实、多样探索、实践推动下，思想政治教育的学科形态基本定型、总体稳固，学科建设迈向高质量发展的“不惑”阶段。

1. “No Doubts about Belonging”: The Clarity of the Positioning of the Discipline of Ideological and Political Education

1.“归属不惑”：思想政治教育学科定位的明晰

A mature discipline necessarily requires a clear disciplinary belonging. The belonging referred to here is not simply that ideological and political education is a second-level discipline under the first-level discipline of Marxist theory, but rather refers in a broad sense to the definition of the disciplinary nature, the demarcation of the disciplinary positioning, and the clarification of the disciplinary attributes.

一门成熟的学科，必然要求具备清晰的学科归属。这里所说的归属，不是简单说思想政治教育是马克思主义理论一级学科下设的二级学科，而是从广泛的意义上指涉学科性质的界定、学科定位的勘定、学科属性的澄明。

No doubts about disciplinary belonging is a state of development that is the organic unity of the subjective and the objective, of cognition and identification. As a discipline, what is the foundation of the existence of ideological and political education? What is its basic difference from other second-level disciplines under the first-level discipline of Marxist theory? What is its basic difference from disciplines such as pedagogy? These were once problems that troubled the construction of the discipline of ideological and political education. Resolving the confusion about disciplinary belonging inherently requires determining the disciplinary identity and demarcating the disciplinary positioning. The no-doubts about belonging of the discipline of ideological and political education is reflected both in the sense of belonging, identification, and mission of scholars within the disciplinary field, and in the uniqueness of the discipline’s own research object, the certainty of its research objectives, the concentration of its research field, and the stability of its research paradigm.

学科归属不惑，是主观与客观、认知与认同有机统一的发展状态。作为一门学科，思想政治教育学科存在的根基是什么？其同马克思主义理论一级学科下设其他二级学科的基本区别是什么？其同教育学等学科的基本区别是什么？这是一度困扰思想政治教育学科建设的难题。破解学科归属之惑，内在要求确定学科身份、勘定学科定位。思想政治教育学科的归属不惑，既体现在学科领域内学者的归属感、认同感、使命感，又体现在学科自身研究对象的独特性、研究目标的确定性、研究领域的集中性、研究范式的稳定性。

No doubts about disciplinary belonging is embodied in the conscious understanding of the essence of the discipline of ideological and political education as “forging the soul and cultivating people.” Essence is the inherent stipulation that a thing itself possesses, presented through its existence or movement. Disciplinary essence is the “qualitative requirement” for a discipline to exist independently and develop autonomously; a clarified disciplinary essence is the prerequisite for no doubts about disciplinary belonging. Over the past 40 years, the academic community has explored the disciplinary essence of ideological and political education from perspectives such as ontology, functional theory, attribute theory, teleology, and content theory, continuously deepening its understanding. It should be said that ideological and political education fundamentally does the work of people, possessing the disciplinary essence of “forging the soul and cultivating people.” The “soul” in “forging the soul” refers to Marxism; from the perspective of its conceptual form, it is the organic and unified whole of the Marxist worldview, outlook on life, values, view of history, view of morality, view of politics, view of the state, and view of the rule of law. The “people” in “cultivating people” refers to people who are fully developed morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and in labor, and are the new generation of the era who shoulder the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The disciplinary essence of “forging the soul and cultivating people” runs through all aspects of the discipline of ideological and political education, is deeply embedded in disciplinary construction and development, and fundamentally stipulates the positioning and belonging of the discipline of ideological and political education.

学科归属不惑，体现为对思想政治教育学科“铸魂育人”本质的自觉认识。本质就是事物自身所具有的、通过其存在或运动所呈现出的内在规定性。学科本质是一门学科独立存在、自主发展的“质的要求”，明晰化的学科本质是学科归属不惑的前提。40年来，学界从本体论、功能论、属性论、目的论、内容论等视角探讨思想政治教育的学科本质，对其认识不断深化。应当说，思想政治教育从根本上看是做人的工作，具有“铸魂育人”的学科本质。铸魂中的“魂”，指的是马克思主义，从观念形态上看，其是马克思主义的世界观、人生观、价值观、历史观、道德观、政治观、国家观、法治观的有机统一整体。育人中的“人”，指的是德智体美劳全面发展的人，是担当民族复兴大任的时代新人。“铸魂育人”的学科本质贯穿思想政治教育学科的方方面面，深深地熔铸于学科建设与发展中，从根本上规定了思想政治教育学科的定位与归属。

2. “No Doubts about Principles”: The Maturity of the Theory of the Discipline of Ideological and Political Education

2.“原理不惑”：思想政治教育学科理论的成熟

The maturity of principles is a significant marker of the maturity of disciplinary development. Over the past 40 years, the academic community has continuously deepened its understanding of the laws of the discipline of ideological and political education, promoting the systematic and theoretical construction of the discipline’s basic theory. The three-dimensional structure of the principles of ideological and political education—comprising “points,” “lines,” “surfaces,” and “bodies”—has basically taken shape, and the system of principles has become mature.

原理的成熟是学科发展成熟的显著标志。40年来，学界不断深化对思想政治教育学科的规律性认识，推动学科基础理论的体系化、学理化构建，思想政治教育学原理“点”“线”“面”“体”立体结构基本成型，原理体系趋于成熟。

The “theory of inculcation” is the “point” of the principles of ideological and political education. The “theory of inculcation” emphasizes “inculcating socialist ideas and political consciousness into the proletarian masses,”[1]1 “Breaking circles” (破圈) and “going viral” (出圈) are Chinese internet neologisms referring to content or products that transcend their original niche audience or community to gain mainstream popularity.(P339) which constitutes the theoretical origin, argumentative fulcrum, and starting point of the principles of the discipline of ideological and political education. On the question of “what to inculcate,” it advocates inculcating socialist ideology; on the question of “who inculcates,” it advocates that the proletarian party holds the leadership of ideology and cultural leadership; on the question of “how to inculcate,” it advocates forms of inculcation that unify the explicit and the implicit. As the “point” of the disciplinary principles, the “theory of inculcation” must be unswervingly upheld and continuously developed.

“灌输论”是思想政治教育学原理之“点”。“灌输论”强调“把社会主义思想和政治自觉性灌输到无产阶级群众中去”，[1](P339)这构成了思想政治教育学科的理论原点、立论支点、原理起点。在“灌输什么”的问题上，主张灌输社会主义意识形态；在“谁来灌输”的问题上，主张由无产阶级政党掌握意识形态领导权、文化领导权；在“如何灌输”的问题上，主张显性与隐性相统一的灌输形式。“灌输论”作为学科原理之“点”，必须毫不动摇地坚持并不断发展。

The “theory of the lifeline” is the “line” of the principles of ideological and political education. The “lifeline” issue is a fundamental issue concerning the existence and development of a thing. The “theory of the lifeline” reveals the internal connection of ideological and political education, as an educational system, with the economic system, political system, social system, and so on. From a historical perspective, ideological and political work has been positioned as “the lifeline of the Red Army,”[2]2 “Prominent discipline” (显学) is a classical Chinese term originally referring to a school of thought that is widely studied and influential; here it denotes a discipline that has achieved significant recognition and development.(P91) “the lifeline of the anti-Japanese army,”[3]3 Reference to a 1938 directive on political work in the anti-Japanese forces.(P149) “the lifeline of all economic work,”[4]4 Mao Zedong’s 1955 remark, later formalized, that political work is the lifeline of all economic work.(P449) “the lifeline of economic work and all other work,”[5]5 From the 1981 “Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party since the Founding of the PRC,” which reaffirmed the lifeline concept.(P74) and “the lifeline of all school work.”[6]6 From a 2018 national education conference speech by Xi Jinping, extending the lifeline metaphor to all school work.(P279) The “theory of the lifeline” indicates that ideological and political education has inherent stability, runs through different fields of modernization construction, and plays a role in regulation and guidance.

“生命线论”是思想政治教育学原理之“线”。“生命线”问题，是关乎一事物存在与发展的根本性问题。“生命线论”揭示了思想政治教育作为一个教育系统，同经济系统、政治系统、社会系统等的内在联结。从历史视角看，思想政治工作被定位为“红军的生命线”[2](P91)“抗战军队的生命线”[3](P149)“一切经济工作的生命线”[4](P449)“经济工作和其他一切工作的生命线”[5](P74)“学校各项工作的生命线”[6](P279)等。“生命线论”，表明思想政治教育具有内在的稳定性，贯穿不同的现代化建设领域中，起到调节与引领的作用。

The “theory of comprehensiveness” is the “surface” of the principles of ideological and political education. Ideological and political education is a comprehensive educational activity; its pattern, objectives, content, and methods are all comprehensive. The comprehensiveness of the pattern is reflected in the formation of a pattern of all-staff, whole-process, all-round education, where different subjects “guard their own stretch of canal” and “tend their own responsibility fields,” jointly grasping ideological and political education and forming a community of education. The comprehensiveness of objectives is reflected in the comprehensive consideration of national strategic objectives, social progress objectives, and human development objectives. The comprehensiveness of content is reflected in the comprehensive education of different conceptual forms such as worldview, outlook on life, values, and view of morality, and the comprehensive explanation of current affairs and policies. The comprehensiveness of methods is reflected in the comprehensive application of methods such as theoretical explanation, comparative analysis, typical demonstration, and honor incentives.

“全面论”是思想政治教育学原理之“面”。思想政治教育是全面的教育活动，格局、目标、内容、方法都具有全面性。格局的全面性，体现为形成全员全过程全方位育人格局，不同主体“守好一段渠”“种好责任田”，共同抓好思想政治教育，形成育人的共同体。目标的全面性，体现为国家战略目标、社会进步目标、人的发展目标的全面考量。内容的全面性，体现为对于世界观、人生观、价值观、道德观等不同观念形态的全面教育，对于时事政策的全面阐释。方法的全面性，体现为理论阐释、比较分析、典型示范、荣誉激励等方法的全面运用。

The “theory of integration” is the “body” of the principles of ideological and political education. From “points” to “lines” to “surfaces,” the ultimate goal is to connect into a whole. Xi Jinping proposed at the 20th National Congress of the CPC to “improve the ideological and political work system and promote the integrated construction of ideological and political education in universities, middle schools, and primary schools.”[7]7 Xi Jinping, *Hold High the Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive in Unity to Build a Modern Socialist Country in All Respects* — Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, October 16, 2022, p. 36.(P36) The core essence of the “theory of integration” lies in horizontal connection, vertical articulation, and spiral ascent. It includes not only the integration of ideological and political education in the narrow sense within the school domain, but also the integration of ideological and political education in the broad sense across different fields such as enterprises, rural areas, the military, and intellectuals. It also includes the integration of the construction elements of ideological and political education, such as curriculum, scientific research, organization, management, practice, culture, service, and the internet. The key to the “theory of integration” lies in solving the problem of the fragmented and piecemeal development of ideological and political education, and solving the real problem of moving ideological and political education from “spontaneous” action to “conscious” exploration.

“一体化论”是思想政治教育学原理之“体”。由“点”及“线”到“面”，最终是要联结为一个整体。习近平在党的二十大报告中提出要“完善思想政治工作体系，推进大中小学思想政治教育一体化建设”。[7](P36)“一体化论”的核心要义在于横向贯通、纵向衔接、螺旋上升，既包含狭义上学校领域思想政治教育的一体化，又包含广义上企业、农村、军队、知识分子等不同领域思想政治教育的一体化，还包含课程、科研、组织、管理、实践、文化、服务、网络等思想政治教育建设要素的一体化。“一体化论”的关键在于解决思想政治教育分散化、碎片化发展的问题，解决思想政治教育从“自发”行动到“自觉”探索的现实难题。

3. “No Doubts about Application”: The Deepening of the Practice of the Discipline of Ideological and Political Education

3.“应用不惑”：思想政治教育学科实践的深化

The discipline of ideological and political education is not “scholarship in the study” or “abstruse speculation in the ivory tower,” but a discipline widely applied in national governance and social governance, and widely integrated into daily life and social development. No doubts about application indicates that educators can consciously grasp the application fields, directions, and laws of ideological and political education in practice.

思想政治教育学科不是“书斋里的学问”，不是“象牙塔中的玄想”，而是广泛应用于国家治理、社会治理，广泛融入日常生活、社会发展的学科。应用不惑，表明教育者能够自觉把握思想政治教育在实践中的应用场域、方向与规律。

Unperplexed in application is manifested in the extensive expansion of the application fields of the discipline of ideological and political education. As scholars engaged in the construction of the discipline of ideological and political education, we can deeply feel that the discipline now has more and broader arenas for its use, becoming a truly application-oriented discipline, cultivating a batch of application-oriented talents, producing many application-oriented research results, and becoming more closely linked with national construction and social construction. First, it has become an application-oriented discipline. Basic research and applied research are the two fundamental orientations of disciplinary construction in ideological and political education. An application-oriented discipline is one with an application orientation, a reality orientation, and a practice orientation, emphasizing the interaction and linkage between disciplinary construction and government, enterprises, and research institutions, applying principled achievements to specific practical work. Second, it has cultivated high-quality application-oriented talents, training ideological and political theory course teachers for universities, middle schools, and primary schools, cultivating counselors and building ideological and political work teams for higher education institutions, and cultivating specialized talents in ideological and political education for public service departments, enterprises, and institutions, among others. Third, it has produced high-standard application-oriented research results. These results include, but are not limited to, ideological products and cultural products that “break circles” and “go viral,”[1]1 “Breaking circles” (破圈) and “going viral” (出圈) are Chinese internet neologisms referring to content or products that transcend their original niche audience or community to gain mainstream popularity. ideological and political education venues and facilities based on new technological paradigms, and internal reference reports that provide policy advice and serve decision-making.

应用不惑，体现为思想政治教育学科应用场域的广泛拓展。作为从事思想政治教育学科建设的学人，我们可以深切地感受到，思想政治教育学科的用武之地更多了、更广了，成为名副其实的应用型学科，培养出一批应用型人才，打造出诸多应用型研究成果，同国家建设、社会建设联系更为密切。一是成为应用型学科。基础研究与应用研究，是思想政治教育学科建设的两个基本面向。应用型学科，是具有应用导向、现实导向、实践导向的学科，强调学科建设同政府、企业、科研机构的互动联动，将原理性成果应用到具体实务工作中。二是培养出高素质的应用型人才，为大中小学培育思政课教师，为高等学校培育辅导员、建设思想政治工作队伍，为公共服务部门、企事业单位培育思想政治教育专门人才，等等。三是打造出有水准的应用型研究成果。这些成果包括但不限于“破圈”“出圈”的思想产品、文化产品，新技术范式的思想政治教育场馆、设施，咨政建言、服务决策的内参报告，等等。

Unperplexed in application is also manifested in the sublimation of the understanding of the laws of application in the discipline of ideological and political education. Application is not a rigid patchwork of ideological and political elements with application fields, but an organic integration based on methodological consciousness. The discipline of ideological and political education has a special disciplinary nature, and its application should follow special laws. This is centrally reflected in the need to consciously apply the viewpoint of development to observe the rise and fall of social trends and the evolution of ideology and culture, to grasp the internal laws of students’ growth, talent development, and character formation using the viewpoint of universal connection, to grasp the spiral ascending law of cognition–emotion–will–belief–action in the application of ideological and political education, and to grasp the laws of ideological and political education serving national strategy and social governance, among others. It should be pointed out that the discipline of ideological and political education does not exist in isolation but is closely linked with various disciplines in philosophy and social sciences. Its application inevitably requires extensive interdisciplinary research, promoting the aggregation of disciplinary resources from philosophy, sociology, law, psychology, pedagogy, management, communication studies, etc., into a strong support for the application of the discipline of ideological and political education. For example, integrating with information management science to establish a comprehensive platform for prediction, research and judgment, and analysis of ideological and political education based on big data.

应用不惑，体现为对思想政治教育学科应用规律性认识的升华。应用，不是思政元素同应用场域的生硬拼凑，而是在方法论自觉基础上的有机结合。思想政治教育学科具有特殊的学科性质，其应用应当遵循特殊的规律。这集中反映在，要自觉运用发展的观点观察社会思潮的起落、思想文化的演变，用普遍联系的观点把握学生成长、成才、成人的内在规律，把握思想政治教育应用中知—情—意—信—行的螺旋式上升规律，把握思想政治教育服务国家战略、社会治理的规律，等等。需要指出的是，思想政治教育学科不是孤立的存在，而是同哲学社会科学各学科紧密联系在一起的，其应用必然要求广泛开展跨学科研究，推动哲学、社会学、法学、心理学、教育学、管理学、传播学等学科资源聚合为思想政治教育学科应用的有力支撑。例如，同信息管理学融合，建立基于大数据的思想政治教育预测、研判、分析综合平台，等等。

II. Why “Unperplexed”: The Source of Unperplexedness in the Development of the Discipline of Ideological and Political Education

二、何以“不惑”：思想政治教育学科发展的不惑之源

After 40 years of development, ideological and political education has become a “prominent discipline.”[2]2 “Prominent discipline” (显学) is a classical Chinese term originally referring to a school of thought that is widely studied and influential; here it denotes a discipline that has achieved significant recognition and development. Unperplexedness is actually an inevitability of the discipline’s existence, construction, and development. If a discipline had not engaged in persistent and effective exploration, it could not have developed for 40 years. For the discipline of ideological and political education, in addition to the top-level promotion at the national strategic level, the conscious exploration of the scholar community, the internal drive of academic research, and the consolidation and development of the disciplinary front are crucial. The “scholars–academics–discipline” forming a combined force is the foundation of confidence for the development of the discipline of ideological and political education.

历经40年发展，思想政治教育成为一门“显学”。不惑实际上是学科存在、建设与发展的必然，如果一门学科没有持之以恒的有效探索，那么它也不可能发展40年之久。对于思想政治教育学科来说，除了国家战略层面的顶层推动外，学者群体的自觉探索、学术研究的内在驱动、学科阵地的巩固发展至关重要。“学者—学术—学科”形成发展的合力，是思想政治教育学科发展的底气所在。

1. The Conscious Exploration of the Scholar Community

1. 学者群体的自觉探索

Scholars are the main body foundation for the growth and strengthening of a discipline. The core meaning of unperplexedness lies in confirming the subjectivity of scholars and academics within the discipline. The scholar community has consciously promoted the scientification and disciplinization, professionalization and standardization of ideological and political education, confirming the subjectivity of the discipline, scholars, and academics. Over the past 40 years, the scholar community, through conscious exploration, has promoted the leapfrog development of the discipline of ideological and political education, declaring its academic attributes, educational attributes, and governance attributes, and answering the perplexities of the discipline’s development.

学者是学科发展壮大的主体基础。不惑的核心要义在于确证学科中学者与学术的主体性。学者群体自觉推动思想政治教育的科学化与学科化、专业化与规范化，确证了学科、学者、学术的主体性。40年来，学者群体在自觉探索中推动思想政治教育学科实现跨越式发展，宣明了思想政治教育学科的学术属性、育人属性和治理属性，回答了思想政治教育学科的发展之惑。

Unperplexedness originates from the continuous exploration of “Who are we?”, “Where do we come from?”, and “Where are we going?”, forming a distinct autonomous consciousness, conscious understanding, and self-assertion. The scholar community of ideological and political education has a special academic identity, containing specific identity attributes and bearing distinct ethical implications. The object groups faced by the discipline of ideological and political education are broad in scope, the content taught is ideological in nature, the values promoted are lofty, and the propositions put forward are practical. These make internal stipulations on the identity of the scholar community. Thus, scholars of ideological and political education have three identity dimensions: the first is as educators who educate people for the Party and the country; the second is as Marxists with firm convictions; the third is as researchers of social ideological phenomena, value phenomena, moral phenomena, and spiritual phenomena. These three identities are mutually unified. Over the past 40 years, the identification and confirmation of these three identities have not been achieved overnight; for a period, there indeed existed a tendency to emphasize only one or two of the three. For scholars of ideological and political education, it is undesirable to only research without believing or educating; to have belief and ability to educate but not research is a partial neglect; to have belief and ability to research but not educate is a deficiency. Scholars situated within the discipline of ideological and political education, by combining “research–belief–action,” can continuously confirm and consolidate their subjectivity, thereby consolidating the subjective foundation of “unperplexedness.”

不惑源自对“我们是谁？”“我们从哪里来？”“我们到哪里去？”的持续探索，形成鲜明的自主意识、自觉认识、自我主张。思想政治教育的学者群体，具有特殊的学术身份，蕴含着特定的身份属性，承载着鲜明的伦理意涵。思想政治教育学科所面对的对象群体具有广泛性，所施教的内容具有意识形态性，所弘扬的价值具有崇高性，所提出的主张具有实践性，这些对学者群体的身份作出了内在规定。如此，思想政治教育学者具有三重身份面向，第一重是为党育人、为国育才的教育者，第二重是信念坚定的马克思主义者，第三重是社会意识形态现象、价值现象、道德现象、精神现象的研究者，这三重身份是相互统一的。40年来，对于这三重身份的辨识与确认不是一蹴而就的，在一段时间内只重三者其一或其二的倾向确乎存在。对于思想政治教育学者来说，只研究、不信仰、不育人是不可取的，有信仰、会育人、不研究是有所偏废的，有信仰、会研究、不育人是有缺憾的。置身思想政治教育学科中的学者，将“研究—信仰—行动”结合起来，就能持续地确证与巩固学者的主体性，巩固“不惑”的主体基础。

2. The Scientific Advancement of Academic Research

2. 学术研究的科学推进

Academic research is the basic form of promoting disciplinary development. The paradigm of academic research in ideological and political education is basically stable, the academic themes are basically clear, and the academic horizons are continuously broadened, forming a unique academic form for the development of the discipline of ideological and political education, answering the perplexities of the discipline’s development from the dimension of knowledge.

学术研究是推动学科发展的基本形式。思想政治教育学术研究的范式基本稳固，学术主题基本明确，学术视野不断开拓，形成了思想政治教育学科发展独有的学术形态，从知识维度回答了思想政治教育学科发展之惑。

Over the past 40 years, the discipline of ideological and political education has achieved a historic leap from the stage of learning from other disciplines to the stage of constructing an autonomous knowledge system of ideological and political education. When a discipline is first established, it always hopes to absorb beneficial resources and theoretical nourishment from other mature disciplines. Ideological and political education is a new, emerging, and qualitatively new discipline. “Learning from other disciplines” once became the mainstream direction of research in ideological and political education. The extensive influx and effective absorption of academic resources from outside the discipline enabled the discipline of ideological and political education to achieve relatively rapid development in a short period. For example, learning from philosophy established the philosophical foundation, thinking framework, and speculative structure of academic research in ideological and political education, significantly enhancing the intellectual acuity of academic thinking. Another example is learning from sociology, which broadened the social perspective, social vision, and social insight of academic research in ideological and political education, significantly enhancing the sense of reality in academics. However, it should be pointed out that while “learning” is important, what is even more crucial is “consolidating the foundation.” Only when the academic form of ideological and political education itself is stable can “learning” produce greater results.

40年来，思想政治教育学科实现了从向其他学科取经阶段向建构思想政治教育自主知识体系阶段的历史性跃升。一门学科初创之际，总是希望吸纳其他成熟学科的有益资源与学理滋养。思想政治教育是一门新生、新兴、新质的学科，“向其他学科取经”一度成为思想政治教育研究的主流方向。学科外学术资源的广泛汇入、有效吸纳，使得思想政治教育学科在较短时间内就取得了较快发展。例如，向哲学取经，确立了思想政治教育学术研究的哲学基础、思维架构、思辨结构，学术的思维敏锐度显著提升。又如，向社会学取经，拓宽了思想政治教育学术研究的社会视野、社会眼光、社会洞察，学术的现实感显著增强。但需要指出的是，“取经”固然重要，但更为重要的是“固本”，只有思想政治教育自身的学术形态是稳固的，“取经”才能产生更大的成效。

Constructing an autonomous knowledge system for ideological and political education is driven by objective practice and is an inevitable requirement of disciplinary development. The knowledge base and academic foundation are the “roots” and “sources” of being unconfused. The developmental stage of an “autonomous knowledge system” is a marker of relative maturity in disciplinary development. Of course, this does not mean that the knowledge already accumulated and formed in the past was not autonomous. Rather, it means that at present, the autonomous knowledge system of ideological and political education has taken on an initial form, laying a foundation for being unconfused. Yet it still requires further effort in the direction of autonomy, independence, and scholarly rationality on the basis of being unconfused. The autonomous knowledge system of ideological and political education can be divided into six aspects: first, comprehensive research, which establishes the most fundamental scholarly framework, academic thinking, and disciplinary attributes of ideological and political education; second, specialized research, which conducts diverse theoretical explorations around specific areas of ideological and political education, such as value theory, space-time theory, subject-object relations theory, genesis theory, root-cause theory, and form theory; third, historical research, which excavates rich historical materials and refines the historical experience, historical laws, and historical theories of ideological and political education; fourth, content research, which provides scholarly interpretations based on the discipline of ideological and political education for core socialist values, the spiritual lineage of Chinese Communists, ideals and beliefs, and so on, supporting the education and teaching of courses such as “Ideological Morality and the Rule of Law”; fifth, comparative research, which compares, explores, and analyzes ideological and political education activities that differ in “name” but are similar in “substance”; sixth, applied research, which analyzes specific ideological and political education activities and their methods, exploring the application pathways of principles and norms. These six aspects constitute the academic subjectivity of the discipline of ideological and political education and are the academic foundation of being unconfused. Scholars should enhance their confidence and strengthen their conviction to promote the high-quality development of the discipline of ideological and political education in the next decade.

建构思想政治教育学自主知识体系，是客观实践的推动，是学科发展的必然。知识基础与学术基础，是不惑的“根”与“源”。“自主知识体系”的发展阶段，是学科发展相对成熟的标志，当然，不能因此就说以前已经积累和形成的知识就不自主了，而是说，当前，思想政治教育自主知识体系具备了初步的形态，为不惑夯实了基础，但依旧需要在不惑的基础上，朝着自主性、独立性、学理性的方向再下功夫。思想政治教育学自主知识体系，可以划分为六个方面：一是综合研究，奠定思想政治教育最基础的学理架构、学术思维、学科属性；二是专门研究，围绕思想政治教育的具体领域，开展多样化的理论探索，如价值论、时空论、主客体关系论、发生论、根源论、形态论等；三是历史研究，挖掘丰富的史料资源，提炼思想政治教育的历史经验、历史规律、历史理论；四是内容研究，对社会主义核心价值观、中国共产党人精神谱系、理想信念等作出基于思想政治教育学科的学理解读，支撑“思想道德与法治”等课程的教育教学；五是比较研究，对“名”不同、“实”相似的思想政治教育活动予以比较、探究、辨析；六是应用研究，对具体的思想政治教育活动及其方法予以分析，探索原理与规范的应用进路。如上六方面，是思想政治教育学科的学术主体性之所在，是不惑的学术根基，广大学人应增进信心、坚定信念，推动思想政治教育学科下一个十年的高质量发展。

3. The Consolidation and Development of Disciplinary Positions

3. 学科阵地的巩固发展

Disciplinary positions are a broad category, encompassing not only teaching positions and educational positions but also college positions, platform positions, as well as training positions and research positions. Over the past 40 years, the prominent characteristic of the development of the discipline of ideological and political education lies in its transition from “nonexistence” to “existence,” from “existence” to “multiplicity,” from “multiplicity” to “quality,” from “scattered operations” to “concentrated efforts,” and from “spontaneous exploration” to “conscious integration.” From the perspective of college positions and training positions, over the past 20-plus years, the discipline of ideological and political education no longer “takes root everywhere.” With the establishment of schools of Marxism as a position, a solid foundation for disciplinary development has been secured. As of 2021, there were over 1,440 schools of Marxism in universities nationwide, [8]8 Source data from the original text, retained as a citation. creating favorable conditions for the development of the discipline of ideological and political education. From the perspective of teaching positions and educational positions, although different universities have different emphases in setting up specialized courses in ideological and political education, the main and core courses—such as principles, methodology, history of ideological and political education, and comparative ideological and political education—are basically consistent, forming a relatively stable teaching structure.

学科阵地是一个大的范畴，既包括教学阵地、教育阵地，又包括学院阵地、平台阵地，还包括培养阵地、研究阵地。40年来，思想政治教育学科发展的突出特点就在于，从“无”到“有”、从“有”到“多”、从“多”到“好”、从“散兵作战”到“集中攻坚”、从“自发探索”到“自觉集成”。从学院阵地、培养阵地来看，20多年来，思想政治教育学科不再“四处扎根”，有了马克思主义学院这个阵地，就有了学科发展的坚实基础。截至2021年，全国高校马克思主义学院共有1 440余家，[8]为思想政治教育学科发展创造了有利条件。从教学阵地、教育阵地来看，虽然不同高校对思想政治教育专业课程的设置各有侧重，但原理、方法论、思政史、比较思政等主干课程、核心课程基本一致，形成了较为稳定的教学结构。

Whether disciplinary positions are consolidated is closely linked to the construction of the disciplinary team. As the Party and the state increasingly emphasize the discipline of Marxist theory and ideological and political theory courses, the discipline of ideological and political education has also encountered new opportunities for development. According to survey data from the *Development Report on the Discipline of Marxist Theory in Higher Education Institutions (2021)*, among the units participating in the survey in 2021, there were a total of 5,650 full-time teachers in the secondary discipline of “ideological and political education,” accounting for 28%. From the start of the survey in 2013 to 2021, the number of full-time teachers in “ideological and political education” has consistently ranked first among all secondary disciplines under the first-level discipline of Marxist theory. [9]9 Source data from the original text, retained as a citation.(P35-37) From the perspective of talent cultivation, data show that in 2021, the participating first-level discipline doctoral programs produced a total of 953 doctoral dissertations, of which 341 were in the direction of ideological and political education, accounting for 35.78%, ranking first among all secondary disciplines under the first-level discipline of Marxist theory. [9]9 Source data from the original text, retained as a citation.(P369) Only when a discipline continuously cultivates outstanding reserve talents and has successors for its development can it flourish and be truly called unconfused.

学科阵地的巩固与否，与学科队伍的建设有着紧密的联系。在党和国家对马克思主义理论学科、思想政治理论课日益重视的情况下，思想政治教育学科也迎来了发展的新机遇。根据《高校马克思主义理论学科发展报告》（2021）的调查数据，在2021年参加调研的单位中，共有“思想政治教育”二级学科专职教师5 650人，占比为28%，从调查开始的2013年到2021年“思想政治教育”专职教师人数始终位居马克思主义理论一级学科各二级学科的首位。[9](P35-37)从人才培养来看，数据显示，2021年参加调研的一级学科博士点，共产生博士学位论文953篇，其中思想政治教育方向的为341篇，占比为35.78%，居于马克思主义理论一级学科各二级学科的首位。[9](P369)一个学科源源不断培养出优秀的后备人才，学科发展后继有人，这一学科才得以蓬勃发展，才能称得上是不惑。

III. Passing Through the Years of “Unconfused”: Reflections on Being Unconfused in the Development of the Discipline of Ideological and Political Education

三、走过“不惑”的岁月：思想政治教育学科发展的不惑之思

On the basis of being “unconfused,” the construction of the discipline of ideological and political education has entered a new stage of development, requiring the establishment of a problem consciousness and practical orientation that correspond to it. Being unconfused does not mean there are no problems; rather, it means no longer feeling perplexed or doubtful about the direction and path of the discipline’s development, and possessing the ability to construct an autonomous knowledge system. In this regard, it is necessary to deeply resolve structural and practical problems to provide endogenous impetus for disciplinary construction.

在“不惑”的基础上，思想政治教育学科建设进入了新的发展阶段，需要确立起与之相适应的问题意识与现实导向。不惑并不意味着没有问题，而是不再对思想政治教育学科发展的方向和进路感到困惑、疑惑，具备自主知识体系建构的能力。对此，必须深入破解结构性、现实性的问题，为学科建设提供内生动力。

1. Integrated Development: Promoting the Coordinated Development of the Ideological and Political Education System

1. 一体化发展：促进思想政治教育系统的协同发展

When discussing integrated development, the most attention is paid to the integration of ideological and political education across large, medium, and small schools [i.e., universities, secondary schools, and primary schools]; this is the basic direction of integration. The current problem is that ideological and political education workers in primary and secondary schools emphasize teaching over research, while those in universities emphasize research over teaching. Workers in ideological and political education across large, medium, and small schools have little interaction and know little of each other. This phenomenon clearly does not meet the requirements of integration. A so-called discipline is a product of human knowledge production. The discipline of ideological and political education is rooted in universities, but this does not mean that ideological and political workers in primary and secondary schools do not need to conduct research. Only on the basis of research can laws be grasped and followed. The integration of ideological and political education across large, medium, and small schools should not only focus on the traditional dimensions of textbook integration, teaching integration, and teacher integration but also add an important dimension: research integration. Research integration is the foundation of the other integration elements. Without investigation and research, there is no right to speak. Only by supplementing and properly implementing this dimension can we truly and concretely grasp the laws of student growth and talent development, the laws of ideological and political education, and the laws of the spread of social trends of thought.

谈到一体化发展，最受到关注的是大中小学思想政治教育的一体化，这是一体化的基本方向。现在面临的问题是，中小学的思想政治教育工作者重教学轻研究，大学里思想政治教育工作者则是重研究轻教学，大中小学的思想政治教育工作者往来甚少、相知不多。这种现象显然不符合一体化的要求。所谓学科，是人类知识生产的产物，思想政治教育学科是在大学中扎根的，但这并不意味着中小学的思想政治工作者不需要进行研究。只有在研究的基础上，才能把握规律、顺应规律。大中小学思想政治教育一体化，不仅要关注传统意义上教材的一体化、教学的一体化、教师的一体化，还要增添一个重要的维度，那就是研究的一体化。研究的一体化，是其他一体化要素的基础。没有调查研究就没有发言权。只有将这个维度补上并做好，才能真正具体地把握学生成长成才规律、思想政治教育规律、社会思潮传播规律。

In fact, from a broad perspective, integration should be understood as the integration of the entire ideological and political education system. For example, can the ideological and political education a person receives in school be effectively connected with the education they receive after entering the workforce and society? Will there be content overlap, repetition, or even “conflict”? This is a new issue raised by the demands of the times. Ideological and political education is not a temporary matter, nor is it something that can be completed once and for all within a certain period; it is a lifelong matter. Therefore, for the discipline of ideological and political education, integrated development means constructing the ideological and political education system as a whole. On this issue, it is necessary to combine basic characteristics such as age stage, life background, educational level, and industry traits, as well as relationship networks such as geographical ties, academic ties, kinship ties, and interest ties, to broadly mobilize the initiative and creativity of different social subjects and forces, promoting the integrated development of the ideological and political education system.

实际上，从广义上看，一体化应当理解为思想政治教育系统的一体化。比方说，一个人在学校接受的思想政治教育，同其走向工作岗位、走向社会后受到的思想政治教育，能否实现有效的衔接，会不会出现内容上的重复重叠甚至是“打架”，这是一个适应时代发展要求提出的新课题。思想政治教育不是一阵子的事，不是一段时间内完成教育就一劳永逸了，而是一辈子的事。因而，对于思想政治教育学科来说，一体化发展就是要将思想政治教育系统予以整体性的建构。在这一问题上，应当结合年龄阶段、生活背景、教育程度、行业特性等基本特征，结合地缘、学缘、亲缘、趣缘等关系网络，广泛调动起不同社会主体力量的能动性、创造性，促进思想政治教育系统的一体化发展。

2. High-Quality Development: Promoting the Connotation-Based Development Path of the Discipline of Ideological and Political Education

2. 高质量发展：推动思想政治教育学科走内涵式发展道路

High-quality development is an inevitable choice for the discipline of ideological and political education to adapt to the needs of the times in national development. High-quality development is both a state of development oriented toward the new and a requirement for development from good to excellent. It directly targets various structural problems in disciplinary construction that urgently need to be resolved. For the discipline of ideological and political education to follow a connotation-based development path centered on quality improvement, it must take practice as its foundation and deeply resolve the developmental questions between supply and demand, between knowledge and action, and between the internal and the external.

高质量发展是思想政治教育学科适应国家发展时代需求的必然选择。高质量发展既是一种向新而行的发展状态，也是一种由好向优的发展要求，其直接指向学科建设中诸类亟待破解的结构性问题。思想政治教育学科走好以质量提升为核心的内涵式发展道路，必须以实践为基点，深入破解供需之间、知行之间、内外之间的发展之问。

Resolving the “supply-demand” contradiction in the construction of the discipline of ideological and political education. Discipline construction is a process in which supply adapts to demand. To promote the high-quality development of the discipline of ideological and political education, it is necessary to adapt to the times and circumstances of the demand for discipline construction, to promptly respond to the new issues raised by the New Era, to follow up on new changes and new trends in the economy, politics, culture, and society, and to continuously optimize the disciplinary configuration in terms of knowledge structure, discourse system, and practical forms. For example, in the setting of professional courses, different universities can fully leverage their own disciplinary advantages, adjust the research layout and development focus of the discipline of ideological and political education in light of actual conditions, and enhance the flexibility and adaptability of professional courses on the supply side. Furthermore, the discipline of ideological and political education has the unique attribute of forging souls and educating people [10]10 “Forging souls and educating people” (铸魂育人) is a standard Chinese Communist Party formulation for the fundamental mission of ideological and political education, emphasizing the shaping of values and character., which determines that the supply and configuration of the discipline must focus on serving the needs of students’ growth, talent development, and character formation, combining the reasonable needs of students’ growth and development under new circumstances to provide a more亲和 [11]11 “Affinity” (亲和力) is a term frequently used in Chinese Party discourse to describe the desired quality of ideological work that makes it approachable and acceptable to its audience. and more attractive course configuration, thereby enhancing the educational effectiveness of the discipline of ideological and political education.

疏解思想政治教育学科建设的“供—需”矛盾。学科建设是供给同需求相适应的过程，推动思想政治教育学科高质量发展，必须适应学科建设需求的时与势，要及时回应新时代提出的新课题，跟进经济、政治、文化、社会的新变化、新趋势，从知识结构、话语体系、实践形态等方面持续优化学科配置。例如，在专业课程设置方面，不同高校可充分发挥自身的学科优势，结合实际情况调整思想政治教育学科的研究布局、发展侧重，在供给端提升专业课程的灵活度、适应性。此外，思想政治教育学科具有独特的铸魂育人属性，这决定了学科的供给与配置必须以服务学生的成长、成才、成人需求为重点，结合新环境下学生成长发展的合理需求，提供更具亲和力、更有吸引力的课程配置，提升思想政治教育学科的育人效能。

Bridging the “knowledge-action” gap in the construction of the discipline of ideological and political education. Discipline construction is, in the final analysis, a process of applying disciplinary knowledge to practice. For the discipline of ideological and political education to achieve high-quality development, it is necessary to improve the knowledge structure of the talents cultivated by the discipline, helping professional students solidly enhance their professional abilities and cultivate a solid practical character. In this regard, the construction of the discipline of ideological and political education should not only carefully select professional textbooks and compile supplementary teaching materials but also rationally plan training programs, setting up necessary practical training in the cultivation of professional talents. In the evaluation of professional talent capabilities, a comprehensive examination of students’ knowledge structure and related skills should be conducted, with a focus on students’ knowledge application ability, to prevent students from having high ambitions but low abilities, being willing but unable, or experiencing a disconnect between knowledge and action in their work positions.

弥合思想政治教育学科建设的“知—行”间距。学科建设归根结底是学科知识应用于实践的过程。思想政治教育学科要高质量发展，就需完善学科所培养人才的知识结构，帮助专业学生扎实提高专业能力、涵养过硬的实践品格。对此，思想政治教育学科建设既要精心选用专业教材、选编教辅资料，也要合理规划培养方案，在专业人才培养中设置必要的实践训练。在专业人才能力评价上，应综合考查学生的知识结构与相关技能，重点关注学生的知识应用能力，防止学生在工作岗位上出现眼高手低、有心无力、知行不一的情况。

Coordinating the “internal-external” resources in the construction of the discipline of ideological and political education. Ideological and political education is a comprehensive work, and discipline construction must establish a sense of collaboration, organically integrating various beneficial resources in the development of the discipline. On the one hand, efforts should be made to smooth the course resources of related disciplines within the university. In the construction of disciplinary courses, the course settings of different disciplines should be reasonably referenced, attempting to break down the course barriers between the discipline of ideological and political education and related disciplines using units such as academic divisions, colleges, or broad categories, promoting the synchronized resonance and effective connection of core courses and elective courses in ideological and political education. On the other hand, a cross-university, cross-regional community for the construction of the discipline of ideological and political education should be built. Combining the development characteristics and locational advantages of the regions where universities are located, the linkage and cooperation of discipline construction in ideological and political education among universities in ethnic minority areas, border areas, and old revolutionary base areas should be promoted, actively advancing systematic and scaled disciplinary guidance work, training work, and evaluation work, jointly solving the difficult, key, hot, and blocking issues in discipline construction.

统筹思想政治教育学科建设的“内—外”资源。思想政治教育是全方位的工作，学科建设必须树立协作意识，在学科发展中有机整合各类有益资源。一方面，要着力畅通校内相关学科的课程资源。在学科课程建设上，合理借鉴不同学科的课程设置，尝试以学部、书院、大类等为单位打通思想政治教育学科同相关学科的课程壁垒，推动思政学科核心课程同选修课程的同频共振、有效衔接。另一方面，要构建跨校、跨区域的思想政治教育学科建设共同体。结合各高校所处区域的发展特色、区位优势，推动少数民族地区、边疆地区、革命老区等地高校开展思想政治教育学科建设的联动与合作，积极推进体系化、规模化的学科指导工作、培训工作、评比工作，共同破解学科建设的难点、重点、热点、堵点问题。

3. Modernization Development: Promoting the Discipline of Ideological and Political Education to Serve Chinese-Path Modernization

3. 现代化发展：推动思想政治教育学科服务中国式现代化

Serving the construction of Chinese-path modernization is the mission and task of the discipline of ideological and political education on the new journey. To enhance the ability and level of the discipline of ideological and political education to serve Chinese-path modernization, it is necessary to scientifically handle the dialectical and unified relationship between constructiveness and criticalness, and do a good job of addition, subtraction, and multiplication in discipline construction.

服务中国式现代化建设，是新征程上思想政治教育学科的使命任务。提升思想政治教育学科服务中国式现代化的能力与水平，需要科学处理建设性与批判性辩证统一关系，做好学科建设的加法、减法、乘法。

The most direct way of discipline construction is to do “addition,” but the most worthwhile effort is to do “multiplication.” The method of doing “addition” hopes to add some new ideas, new measures, and new methods for discipline construction on the existing basis. This construction method is undoubtedly effective. For example, introducing a new technical means to solve a specific problem in discipline construction, forming a new idea for disciplinary development. The method of doing “addition” requires a certain degree of “quantitative accumulation” before it is possible to form a stable, mature, and effective paradigm for discipline construction, which takes a long time and a long cycle. The idea of doing “multiplication,” however, is quite different. It emphasizes that the development of the discipline of ideological and political education should be good at leveraging forces, especially drawing rich nourishment from the vivid practice of Chinese-path modernization, opening up the modernized vision of discipline construction, and striving to achieve a multiplier effect in discipline construction. Wherever the practice of Chinese-path modernization extends, the construction of the discipline of ideological and political education should advance. On this issue, we have at least three basic directions to work on together. First, strengthen the frontier research of the discipline. Chinese-path modernization is the most cutting-edge issue for the development of the discipline of ideological and political education. Identify entry points and breakthroughs, take specific issues as the guide, improve the academic quality of ideological and political education, and enable the discipline to acquire the characteristics of “modernity.” Second, integrate into the construction of the Chinese School. The Chinese School is continuously advanced on the basis of the practice of Chinese-path modernization and is an academic event of landmark significance. Currently, the construction of the Chinese School is in a latent state and has not yet moved to a conscious state. In this regard, ideological and political education cannot self-enclose; instead, it should actively engage in academic exchanges with various disciplines in philosophy and social sciences, forcing itself to improve its academic quality, and on academic issues such as Chinese-path modernization, produce academic achievements with competitiveness and recognition. Third, expand the world perspective. Chinese-path modernization is a new path and new form of world modernization. The group of scholars in ideological and political education should identify the positioning and academic direction of the discipline of ideological and political education within it, actively participate in international academic exchanges, and dare to put forward representative and original academic propositions, thereby significantly improving the level of discipline construction.

学科建设最直接的方式是做“加法”，但最值得努力的是做“乘法”。做“加法”的方式，是希望在既有基础上增加一些学科建设的新思路、新举措、新办法，这种建设方式无疑是有效的。例如，引入一项新的技术手段，解决学科建设中的一个具体问题，形成一种新的学科发展思路。做“加法”的方式，需要到一定“量的积累”程度，才有可能形成一种稳定的、成熟的、有效的学科建设范式，其所需的时间较长、周期较长。而做“乘法”的思路则大为不同，其强调思想政治教育学科发展要善于借力，特别是要从中国式现代化的生动实践中汲取丰厚滋养，开拓学科建设的现代化视野，努力取得学科建设的倍增效应。中国式现代化的实践拓展到哪里，思想政治教育学科的建设就应当推进到哪里。在这一问题上，我们至少有三个基本方向可以共同努力。一是强化学科的前沿研究。中国式现代化就是思想政治教育学科发展最前沿的问题议题，找准切入点、突破口，以具体问题为导向，提高思想政治教育的学术品质，使学科获得“现代性”的特性。二是融入中国学派建设。中国学派，是在中国式现代化实践基础上不断推进的，是具有标志性意义的学术事件。当前，中国学派建设处在潜在状态，还未走向自觉状态。对此，思想政治教育不能自我圈地，而是要积极同哲学社会科学的各学科开展学术交流，倒逼自身提高学术质量，在中国式现代化等学术议题上，推出具有竞争力和认可度的学术成果。三是开拓世界视野。中国式现代化是世界现代化的新道路、新形态，思想政治教育学者群体要找准思想政治教育学科在其中的定位与学术方向，积极参与国际学术交流，敢于提出有代表性、原创性的学术主张，从而显著提高学科建设的水平。

Indeed, while doing a good job of “addition” and “multiplication,” it is also necessary to do something and refrain from doing something, doing a good job of “subtraction” in discipline construction. The essence of doing “subtraction” is to achieve the optimal allocation of resources for the construction of the discipline of ideological and political education, reducing the occurrence of resource misallocation or situations where allocation efficiency is not high. In the past, some innovative practices in discipline construction may have expended human, material, and financial resources but yielded little effect, or failed to achieve long-term and sustained results. The construction of the discipline of ideological and political education should actively align with the historical practice of Chinese-path modernization, pay attention to the transformation between theoretical research and applied research, take application as an important direction of discipline construction, do a good job of dynamic evaluation of discipline construction achievements, produce more “substantive innovation,” reduce unnecessary “formal innovation,” produce more achievements with long-term impact, and reduce achievements with limited or short-term impact, unify form and substance at the height of modernization development, continuously promote the optimal allocation of discipline construction resources, realize the modernized development of the discipline of ideological and political education, and improve the ability and level of the discipline of ideological and political education to serve Chinese-path modernization.

诚然，在做好“加法”与“乘法”的同时，还应当有所为、有所不为，做好学科建设的“减法”。做“减法”的实质，就是实现思想政治教育学科建设资源的优化配置，减少出现资源的错配或配置效益不高的情形。在过去，少部分学科建设的创新性做法，可能付出了人力、物力、财力，但收效甚微，或者未能取得长期性、持续性的成效。思想政治教育学科建设应当积极主动对接中国式现代化的历史实践，注重理论研究与应用研究之间的转化，将应用作为学科建设的重要方向，做好学科建设成果的动态评估，多产出“实质创新”、少进行不必要的“形式创新”，多产出具有长期影响的成果、少产出影响有限或短暂的成果，将形式与实质在现代化发展的高度上统一起来，不断推动学科建设资源的优化配置，实现思想政治教育学科的现代化发展，提高思想政治教育学科服务中国式现代化的能力与水平。

(Author’s Brief Introduction: Xiang Jiuyu, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Marxism, Wuhan University)

（作者简介：项久雨，武汉大学马克思主义学院教授、博士生导师）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心