只有良好的文化环境才能真正发挥人才的智力潜能（王德华 2009.1.17）
争夺人才几乎是当今各国政府的战略之一。我国很早就实施了各种人才引进计划，如中国科学院的“百人计划”，国家教委的“长江学人”，还有各地政府的各种“学者”计划，以及新近国家推出的“千人计划”等等，无疑各级政府都意识到了人才的重要性，这是一种进步。只有全社会都尊重知识，社会才能健康发展。
要真正发挥引进人才的作用，需要一个能发挥作用的环境。文化环境很重要，没有一个好的文化环境，什么样的人才都无法发挥潜能，最后只能以失败告终。有些学者已经提出：我们国家实际上并不缺少人才，缺少的是人才成长的土壤。人才成长需要适合的环境，适合的土壤。
生物学告诉我们，任何一种生物要想生存，必须适应其所生活的环境。人具有生物和社会性，自然也遵循生物学规律。海外人才在国外有一个他（她）已经适应了的环境，这种环境使他们的智力潜能得到发挥，取得了耀眼的成绩。一旦引进他们，就需要给他们一种适合他们成长的环境。这种环境最好是变化不要太大，一旦环境条件完全改变了，适应能力强的，可能就生存下来了，适应能力弱的，自然就被淘汰出局了。
就说能够生存下来的，也有几种情况。一种是抗争，依靠与环境的抗争而生存下来的，这主要是发挥了自身的能力（生物学上称生理功能的改变），依赖增强自身适应环境的能力。再一种就是妥协，采取明哲保身的策略。前者主要是增强内功，后者主要是行为学改变，随机应变。如果是前者，国家很幸运，这样的种子传播下去，一定是好结果。如果是后者，就是国家的悲哀了，可能很快就成为不良文化的主要制造者。谁都知道：权利就是资源。这样引进的学者要么自己掌握权利，要么向权利屈服，否则就没有资源，事业无法发展。作为科学研究这个行当，尤其是实验科学，要是没有经费，就只有关门了。咱们国家学术界出现的各种现象，很能说明问题，如各种“公关”，各种“跑部钱进”的行为，甚至各种奖励的产生，各种重点学科和学位点的产生等等，某些当事人是不是需要处处献媚？高校教学评估中的造假已是公开的秘密了，为什么呢？答案很明确：大环境所致。
那么什么样的文化环境才是适合人才发挥作用的环境呢？答案也很简单：一切有利于发挥人才潜能的文化环境，就是好环境，如工作条件，学术环境，学术氛围，生活条件等等方面，都需要适合人才的发展。很难想象在一个没有文化氛围，没有学术氛围，工作条件和生活条件都不尽人意的环境里，就是给引进的人才百万年薪，千万经费，他们又能作出什么水平的成果呢。还有，如果引进的是科学家，就让他安心当科学家；如果引进的是领导者，那就给他该有的权利。不管引进的科研人才是否有行政职务，他们的科研条件和资源都不应该受到影响。只有这样，才能充分发挥人才的实际作用。
建设良好和谐的文化环境，树立弘扬正气、勤奋敬业的学术环境，是当今的一个重要方面。要提倡务实，避免浮夸。文化建设关系到事业成败，应该引起重视。
（王德华 2009.1.17）
译文:
Only under a favorable cultural environment can the intellectual potentials of talents be truly developed
Only under a favorable cultural environment can the intellectual potentials of talents be truly developed
(Wang Dehua, January 17, 2009)
Today, talent competition has almost become one of governments’ strategies. From the earlier time, China has carried out various such plans for talent introduction as “Hundred Talents Programme” of Chinese Academy of Sciences, “Yangtze River Scholars Programme” of State Education Commission as well as a variety of “Scholars” Programme of governments in different places and “Thousand Talents Programme” introduced by new countries etc. undoubtedly, governments at all levels have realized the importance of talents, which is a kind of improvement. Only when the whole society respects knowledge can the society develop healthily.
Truly playing the role of introduced talents requires the very environment where they can function. Cultural environment is very significant. No matter what talents cannot develop potentials without a good cultural environment, and finally only end in failure. Some scholars have put forward that as a matter of fact, what China is short of are not talents but the soil for talent’s growth. The growth of talents demands a proper environment and soil.
Biologists tell us, to survive, any living things must adapt to the environment where they live. Human beings possess organism and sociality and nature also conforms to the law of biology. Overseas talents have had their accustomed environment aboard which enable them to play their intellectual potentials and gain achievements. Once introducing them, we should support them with an environment suitable for their growth. This environment is better not to change more for the reason that if the environment is completely changed, people of strong adaptive capacity may survive, while people of weak adaptive capacity must be eliminated.
There are also several instances of survival. One is struggle, that is, to survive relying on fight again environment. It mainly exerts the own ability (biologically called the alteration of physiological function), and depends on strengthening the capacity of environmental adaptation. The other one is compromise and to adopt the strategy named keeping out of troubles. The former primarily concerns with the enhancement of inner power, while the latter mainly focus on the change of behavioristics, namely acting in accordance with circumstances. In the event of the former, it is the luck for nation in that a good result must be achieved after the dispersal of such a kind of seeds. On the contrary, the latter is the sadness for nation, because it will become the principal maker of unhealthy culture. Everybody knows that right is the resource. As such introduced talents, they either master the right by themselves or give up to right, otherwise without resource, their career cannot be developed. In the trade of scientific research, especially the experimental science, the only road is to shut down if there are no funds. Various phenomena appearing in Chinese academic circle can indeed state problems, such as many kinds of “public relations” and behaviors of “promotion through money”, even the generation of some rewards, key discipline and degree program. Whether or not some parties need to flatter everywhere? The forge in teaching evaluation of high schools has been an open secret, why? The answer is definite that it is caused by the social environment.
Then what kind of cultural environment can be the appropriate one for talents to play their functions? The answer is simple that any cultural environment conductive to the potential development of talents is favorable environment. Such factors as working condition, academic environment, academic atmosphere and living condition etc should all suit the development of talents. Hardly image that even introduced talents provided with million annual salaries or ten million funds, what level their working results are under the environment where there are no cultural and academic atmosphere as well as the working and living condition are unsatisfied. In addition, enable him to work as a scientist what he was; give him the due rights if he was a leader. Whether talents for scientific research hold administrative position or not, the condition and resource for their scientific research ought not to be affected. Only in this way can the actual role of talents be developed.
Establishing satisfactory and harmonious cultural environment, building up and promoting healthy, diligent and professionally devoted academic environment are today’s important aspects. To advocate pragmatism and avoid exaggeration, cultural construction has a great deal to do with the success or failure of the cause, so it should be attached importance to.
(Wang Dehua, January 17, 2009)
This article was published in Scientific Daily on January 23, 2009: