亚历山大•米克尔约翰（Alexander Meiklejohn，1872-1964）为美国20世纪著名的教育家与言论自由家。在近一生的教学与管理实践中，米克尔约翰形成了较为完整系统的教育思想。其教育思想建立在他的民主理想之下，并将古希腊与基督教文明作为公民构建民主社会智慧源泉和养分，期以自由教育启迪人们心智，培养出能够参与民主生活的合格公民。本文采用文献分析法研究米克尔约翰以自由教育培养公民构建民主社会的思想进路。首先探讨的是米克尔约翰的民主理想。米克尔约翰的民主理想来源于对当时美国现实情况的批判，在面对大工业生产带来的人与人之间的疏离，人们被科学技术带来的物质冲昏头脑，放弃寻找美国自由民主的建国初衷的情况下，米克尔约翰提出了构建自治的民主社会的理想。构建这样的社会需要合格的懂得自治的公民，而这样的公民在米克尔约翰来看只能通过自由教育培养。在他创办的威斯康星实验学院中，他实施两年制的古希腊-现代美国课程体系，采用师生共同生活的教学方式，目的就是要塑造学生心智，构建小范围的智力共同体，为了日后参与民主生活做准备。在参与民主生活的时候，公民的言论自由权与大学教师的学术自由权是保障经过自由教育训练的公民来行使自己自治权力的武器。言论自由权作为公民自治权力的外在表达是绝对的。而大学教师拥有的学术自由权是公民言论自由权的下位概念和特殊形式，是公民让渡给大学教师，以便他们完成引领社会发展所需的智识自由与培养下一代自治公民的责任，因此大学教师的学术自由权也是绝对的。大学在构建自治的民主社会中起到了中流砥柱的作用。在主要观念和路径选择上，米克尔约翰与同时期进步主义教育家杜威和永恒主义教育家赫钦斯的教育观点既有相同，又有相异之处。与杜威相比，米克尔约翰较为保守，注重传统的自由教育价值，而与赫钦斯相比，米克尔约翰又是较为激进的，强调现代民主生活的绝对个体权力。正是在进步与保守之间，米克尔约翰构筑起了自己独特的教育思想体系。

Alexander Meiklejohn（1872-1964）is a notable educator and expert on freedom of speech in the United States of America during the 20th century. His educational ideal was built under his democratic ideal. He advocated the importance of the ancient Greek civilization and Christian civilization, which were the sources of wisdom helping people to build up democratic society. By means of liberal education, the qualified citizens taking part in democratic activities can be cultivated. The problem this dissertation would like to solve is that how the citizens cultivated by liberal education take part in building up the democratic society in Meiklejohn’s educational ideas. At the beginning, this dissertation talks about his democratic ideal which comes from the critique of the social situation in the USA at that time. Faced with alienation of people and their fellow man brought by modern manufacture and the abandonment of the freedom and democracy as the original intention when the USA founded resulting from people lost in the rich material life brought by science and technology, Meiklejohn proposed that building up self-governing democratic society. To build up this kind of society needs the qualified citizens knowing how to self-govern. This kind of citizens, in Meiklejohn’s opinion, only can be cultivated by liberal education. In the Experimental College, Wisconsin University, he founded, he set two-year Ancient Greek – Modern America curriculum and adopted the teaching mode of advisors and students living together. The aim of these practices is that making the minds of students and building up intellectual community in smaller scale which can lay a foundation for the students to take part in the democratic life in the future. After cultivated by liberal education, citizens take part in democratic life by their freedom of speech. As the external expression of the power of self-government, the right of freedom of speech is absolute. Academic freedom belonging to the scholars in the university is the subordinate concept and special expression of freedom of speech. Citizens give this kind of power to the scholars in order to make them responsible for developing intellectual freedom and teaching new generation how to self-govern. Therefore, the right of academic freedom belonging to the scholars is also absolute. University is a key agent in the construction of democratic society.On the path choice, Meiklejohn’s educational ideas have some similarities and differences about John Dewey and Robert Maynard Hutchins. Compared with Dewey, Meiklejohn is conservative, whereas compared with Hutchins, Meiklejohn is progressive. Between progressivism and conservatism, Meiklejohn forms his own educational ideas systematically and completely.