本研究主要探討台灣高等教育近年來的發展，受到社會型態的改變所影響後，如何對彼此產生互動。在台灣經濟的發展過程中，高度發達的客觀經濟條件帶來富裕環境，除了增加物質層面的滿足之外，人們的生活型態及文化習慣等也都發起一場影響深刻的轉變。高等教育的發展一向被視作社會發展的風向球，在我們逐漸習慣後現代的生活方式以及價值觀的同時，究竟獲取高等教育文憑對人們產生什麼意義。主要研究目的為：(一)探討在快速的高教擴張之後，人們在學業、職業以及自我實現之間如何取得平衡；(二)了解即使已經出現過量教育的情形之後，人們為何無法經由理性選擇的結果，停止競逐高等教育的文憑。本研究認為高等教育的文憑除了在經濟上能夠帶來某種程度的優勢之外，更重要的是高等教育型塑了一種優越生活的美好意象，筆者試圖藉著消費理論的美學觀點取得人們行動與社會現象之間的合理解釋，以尚．布希亞的消費社會理論來引導出一個可能的理論觀點－「高等教育正在消費化」。透過對社會特徵的掌握，進一步理解高等教育文憑不同於以往的時代意義，並試著說明後現代社會中人們如何面對社會責任與個人的自我實現。 This study aims to investigate the recent progress of Taiwan higher education, which is affected by the change in the society, and vice versa. During the time when the economy in Taiwan is developing, the highly developed objective economic condition brought wealth to this country. In addition to the satisfaction in material aspect, their lifestyle and cultural habits had also dramatically changed. The development of higher education has always been viewed as an indicator for the extent of society development. When we become accustomed to the post-modern lifestyle and its value, what would be the meaning of gaining a diploma of higher education? The purposes of the study are as follows: 1. To discuss how people, after the expansion of higher education, look for a balance between school, career, and self-realization. 2. To find out why people could not rationally stop striving for higher education diplomas even if they understand the situation that there is excessive education. It is believed that higher education not only brings certain degree of advantage in personal finance but also creates a beautiful image of superior life. From the aesthetic point of view from Jean Baudrillard’s La société de consommation (1970), an explanation of people’s choice and social phenomena is found—“higher education is being consumed.” Through mastery of the social characteristics, we further investigate the different meaning of higher education from past times and explain how people, in post-modern society, face social responsibility and individual self-realization.
