First, the similarities and differences between Chinese and Western ways of thinking
China's philosophy shows one way of thinking, while western philosophy shows another way of thinking, which is quite different from each other. The distinctive feature of western philosophical thinking mode is that it pays attention to analysis, and western analytical thinking is more popular and dominant. From ancient Greece to modern times, especially in modern western philosophy, analytical methods are very popular. Engels also said that there were many dialectics in ancient Greece, and many philosophers in ancient Greece were dialectics. In modern times, Engels used a term "metaphysical way of thinking". He said that after16th century, metaphysical thinking mode appeared in the west, and dialectics was not taken seriously. He thinks that things are isolated and static. The name of metaphysical way of thinking was put forward by Hegel, but it is not appropriate, because metaphysics has another meaning, which is also mentioned in Marx and Engels' early work The Holy Family, which is another meaning. Later, Engels adopted Hegel's theory of "using Mao" and called the scientific thinking method after British Bacon and Locke the metaphysical thinking method. This word is more popular now. However, from ancient times to modern times, dialectical thinking is the dominant factor in China's philosophy. It can be said that the western way of thinking is mainly metaphysical and general. In fact, China also has analytical thinking. In China, there are Confucianism and Mohism. Mohism pays more attention to analytical thinking, but Mohism was cut off after the Han Dynasty, and analytical thinking is not very powerful. China's dialectical thinking originated earlier. Laozi said that "truth is true" (Chapter 78 of Laozi), that is to say, a sentence seems to be negative, but it is actually profound. He talked about "opposition to the movement of Tao" (Chapter 40 of Laozi), and Laozi particularly emphasized this "opposition", which is called "negativity" in Hegel's terminology. Lao Tzu thought that everything was denied later. Confucius said "knock at both ends" (Analects of Confucius. Zi Han). If we consider the problem from two aspects, the problem will be solved. Confucius' "knocking at both ends" is also the embodiment of dialectical thinking. From Laozi to Confucius, many thinkers in China have dialectical thinking, especially Zhang Zai in the Song Dynasty and Wang Fuzhi in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the west, there are also rich and profound dialectical thinking. One of the most important representatives is Heraclitus, who is the beginning of western dialectics. Therefore, some people in the West say that Heraclitus is the Lao Tzu of the West, while others say that Lao Tzu is Heraclitus of China in the past. Laozi in China and Heraclitus in the West are both representatives of dialectics, but there are differences and differences in dialectical thinking between China and the West. Laozi and Heraclitus are both masters of dialectics, but what they say is different. Dialectical thinking in China's philosophy pays more attention to the unity of opposites, especially unity and harmony, and holds that the unity of harmony and opposition is the most important. Heraclitus particularly emphasized struggle, while Laozi particularly emphasized harmony. This shows that both China and the West have dialectical thinking, but the emphasis is different, which has been the case until now. Regarding the differences between Chinese and western ways of thinking, an American philosophy professor, Bahm, came to Beijing two years ago. He specializes in comparative philosophy and wrote a book called Comparative Philosophy. He is very interested in China's philosophy and Indian philosophy, and has done more research on western philosophy. He said that China, India and the West have very different ways of thinking. He drew three pictures to illustrate the difference between them.
Western way of thinking: a is not a, a is not a, a is not a, and the positive and negative analysis is clear, so this is not that, that is not this. In India, it is wrong to say A, and it is also wrong to say non-A. A is denied and non-A is denied. You say this thing is this wrong, you say this thing is not this wrong, you can't say at all, this is the Indian way of thinking. In China, this Tai Chi diagram shows that Yin and Yang coexist, and vice versa. Bam thinks that China's thoughts are profound. He is a great physicist. He admires China? Quot yin and yang fish ". I want to talk about the history of the Taiji diagram of Yin and Yang fish. In the past, many people thought that the Taiji diagram of Yin and Yang fish originated in the Tang Dynasty. Now, after textual research, it is confirmed that the Taiji diagram of Yin and Yang fish only appeared in the late Southern Song Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, a philosopher named Zhou Dunyi drew The Records of Artest. His taiji diagram is a big circle. At that time, Zhou Dunyi didn't have a map of Artest in the form of yin and yang fish. "Yin and Yang Fish-shaped Taiji Diagram" was drawn after Zhou Dunyi and at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty. Now the Taiji diagram of Yin and Yang fish is very famous. He expressed China's dialectical thinking: the two ends complement each other, on the contrary, they complement each other and cancel each other out. China's dialectical thinking in ancient times has a certain level, which is also an excellent legacy of China's ancient philosophy. There are many profound thoughts about dialectical thinking and unity of opposites in China's ancient philosophy, which are worth studying. The so-called metaphysical thinking mode in the west, that is, analytical thinking mode, has played a very important role in history. Starting from Bacon and Locke in the16th century, the development of western natural science relies on the so-called metaphysical way of thinking, that is, analytical thinking. Through analysis and experiments, natural science has made great progress. Therefore, we should now inherit the excellent tradition of China's ancient dialectical thinking and learn from the western analytical thinking. Marxism can be said to have two sides. On the one hand, dialectics is emphasized, while at the same time, analysis is emphasized. I think analytical thinking is also very important. In the past, China's Confucianism and Taoism thought did not attach importance to analytical thinking, which was a shortcoming. Lenin has an article "On the Elements of Dialectics", one of which is the unity of analysis and synthesis. Lenin emphasized the unity and combination of analysis and synthesis. This is an element of dialectics.
Second, the similarities and differences between Chinese and Western ontologies
The so-called Ontology, English is ontology. Some people translate it into ontology, some into metaphysics and some into ontology, but it is very different from western ontology.
There are many schools of ontology in the west, and each school has different opinions. Among them, there is a popular view about the relationship between ontology and phenomenon. Ontology and phenomenon are two aspects, ontology is the ontology of phenomenon, and phenomenon is the expression of ontology. Are there two sentences in the west, especially idealists? Quot ontology is true but not true, and the phenomenon is not true now. "That is to say, ontology is real and true, but it can't show itself; The phenomenon is manifest, but it is not real, just the expression of ontology. This thought is particularly prominent in the western new hegelianism. India also emphasizes this view. But this view was opposed by a great western philosopher in the 20th century. His name was Whitehead. In his view, since modern times, the west has divided phenomenon and ontology into two parts. He coined the term "bifurcation of nature" and divided the whole nature into two parts: one part is true and the other part is false; One is true and the other is false. He thinks this division is fundamentally wrong. Whitehead opposed the dichotomy of nature. He said that I was talking about this nature, and nature should not be split in two.
China Since ancient times, many great philosophers have never talked about the opposition between ontology and phenomenon. It is believed that ontology and phenomenon are unified, different and unified. China's philosophy holds that noumenon is true, phenomenon is true, and there is no distinction between reality and falsehood. What's the difference between ontology and phenomenon in China? This is the difference between origin and origin. On the one hand, it is the foundation, on the other hand, it is the end point; This has already existed, but it happened later and was later derived; Origin, source is origin, and flow is produced later. Most philosophers in China believe that ontology is fundamental and true. Although phenomena are not fundamental, they can also be true, which is a characteristic of China's ontology.
In the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty, there was a philosopher named Hu Hong, who criticized Buddhism and said, "Stone's ... is different from Taoism in one day." Hu Hong's words show an attitude of China philosophers, that is, the phenomenon is also true. Cheng Yi, a philosopher in the Northern Song Dynasty, expressed the relationship between body and use in two sentences: "Body and use are of the same origin and are seamless." (Introduction to the Book of Changes) Form is fundamental, use is the expression of form, the first source is the unity of the two, the obvious is the expression, and the micro is the profound content inside. There is no space between them, but they are unified with each other. This sentence shows that ontology and phenomenon are different, but they are still unified. This is the characteristic of China's ontology.
Because China's philosophical ontology has such a characteristic, it is different from Indian and western countries, and it is not easy to understand, but it shows a profound thought of China's philosophy. There was a philosopher in modern times, Mr Xiong Shili, who emphasized this point in his philosophy? Quot "body uses one source", he opposes the dichotomy of body use in the west and thinks it is wrong. Some people don't understand this feature of China's philosophy, so they think that China's philosophy has no ontology and is completely based on the western model of China's philosophy. I think this is wrong. China's philosophy is different from western philosophy in that the body and function are separated, but China's body and function are noumenon, so it cannot be said that China's philosophy has no noumenon. China's philosophy not only has its characteristics, but also I think its characteristics are profound.
Third, the similarities and differences between the basic categories of Chinese and Western philosophy.
Western philosophy has many basic concepts and categories, so does China's philosophy.
In China's philosophy, there are many fundamental concepts and categories, which are difficult to translate into foreign languages. In western philosophy, many concepts and categories are also difficult to translate into Chinese, each with its own characteristics, and its true meaning must be understood. This is very important for learning philosophy. We must really understand the true meaning of some categories of China's philosophy, which is very detailed and not easy to do.
There are too many concepts in China's philosophy to be translated into a foreign language.
First, Tao. Laozi put forward this Tao: "Tao can be Tao, but extraordinary" (the first chapter of Laozi), thinking that this Tao is "born" and the ontology of the world. So how do you translate this "Tao"? This is very difficult. At present, most westerners translate Laozi's Tao Te Ching by transliteration, and some people intentionally translate it into Tao, but it is difficult for Tao to express many meanings of Tao. In western philosophy, there is also a concept of "logos", which is similar to Laozi's Tao. On the one hand, logos refers to the fundamental laws of the world; Laozi's Tao should also be "said", "Tao can be Tao" and "Tao" should be "said", and western logos also has the meaning of saying. But Tao has many characteristics, and it is not enough to just translate it into logos. Most people in the west translate now? "Tao". Westerners are very interested in the five thousand words of Laozi's Tao Te Ching. There are more than 100 Chinese versions of Tao Te Ching in the west, all of which are translated according to their own understanding.
The second is "qi". Qi is a very important concept in China's philosophy. Gas is close to the so-called matter and atom in the west, and gas indicates the existence of a substance. However, China's Qi is different from the so-called matter in the West. The so-called matter in the west has a characteristic, that is, it is vast, that is, it is an extension, and it is a kind of existence that occupies space. China's Qi also occupies space, which is the same. However, the west believes that matter is inert, the mover is always moving, and the static is always static. You must be promoted to move. However, China's Qi is dynamic. From pre-Qin to Song and Ming Dynasties, Qi has always been dynamic, dynamic, not inert. Of course, it is dynamic and static, which contains mobility. This is very different from the so-called matter in the west. Now westerners study China's philosophy and China's science, trying to translate the word qi. Many people translate qi into "vitality" because qi will move. As a matter of fact, China's Qi and the so-called vitality belong to two levels, and something with qi may not have life, so it is also wrong to translate Qi into vitality. Recently, there is a more appropriate translation method, which translates qi into energy, which is called energy, but qi is not just energy. I think qi includes two aspects: on the one hand, it is the "public" in the west; It contains "energy" at the same time, which is the unity of quality and energy. China's concept of Qi includes energy and mass, which is a very profound concept. Another characteristic of western matter is impenetrability. This substance cannot enter the substance unless it is destroyed. China's qi is different from western matter. It's accessible. You can enter the air without destroying its original entity. Therefore, the concept of qi is still a very wonderful concept.
The third is "God". Is China's philosophy also difficult to understand? Quot god. " The so-called God in China's philosophy has three meanings. The first meaning refers to God and God; The second meaning refers to people's spiritual function and thinking function; The third layer means subtle changes. The so-called "the unexpected of Yin and Yang is called God" (Chapter 5 of Yi Zhuan). Cohesion upload), and the interaction between Yin and Yang is wonderful, also called God. If you come across a word of God, you think that it is talking about God and that it is theism, which is completely wrong. Many philosophers in China are talking about God, but she is not talking about God. What he said is "the thing of Yin and Yang is called God". This concept is also difficult to translate into English.
The fourth is "sincerity". This is a deeper concept. "Honesty" means honesty and integrity, but China ancient philosophers regarded honesty as a philosophical category and a consistent basic philosophical concept. How can I say this sincerity? What did Zhu Laoshi say in the Song Dynasty? Quot True innocence is called sincerity "(Notes on Four Books: The Doctrine of the Mean). How to say true innocence? On the one hand, it is true; On the other hand, it is innocent, that is, it is inevitable without contingency. So this sincerity has two meanings, one is reality, and the other is inevitability and regularity. Hegel famously said, "What is reasonable is practical, and what is practical is reasonable". China's word "sincerity" combines reality and rationality. (Principles of Legal Philosophy, Commercial Press t96 1 June, p.1/. This so-called sincerity is profound and difficult to understand.
To study China's philosophy, we should deeply understand the significance of these categories, and we should not be superficial.
There are also many concepts in western philosophy that are difficult to translate into Chinese, most notably? Quot Being ".Le" and "Being" can be said to be the most important concept and category in ancient Greek philosophy. How to translate this category? This is very problematic, and there is no good translation method until now. It used to be translated as "yes" or "yes". Some people think that this translation is not in line with its original intention, while others translate it as "existence". The English word "being" is changed from "to be". It changed from a verb to a gerund, meaning "being" and "being". Many people translated it into "existence" before. The first chapter of Hegel's Logic is about "existence", which is generally translated as "existence" or "existence". Some people think that it is inappropriate to translate "Shi" into "Shi" or "existence" in ancient Greece, and think that it should be translated into "Shi". But in Chinese, the word "Shi" has no meaning of existence, so it is difficult to understand when translated into "Shi". Now it is generally translated as "being" or "being". Someone suggested translating it into "yes", but this "yes" is awkward, unlike Chinese. This shows that there is a fundamental category in the west and it is difficult to translate it into Chinese. Regarding the English word "to be", some people think that the word "yes" was not used in ancient China. In fact, this understanding is wrong. There was a word "yes" in ancient China, which can be proved by two sentences in The Analects of Confucius. One day, while Confucius was sitting in the car, he met two hermits asking for directions. The hermit said, "Who is the father? The word "for whom" is a modern word "yes". Luz replied, "Yes", that is, the hermit said, "Is it Luz? "Is it lu? It can be seen that the word "yes" existed in ancient China. It is wrong to think that there was no "yes" in ancient China. But what about this? Quot "is" as a conjunction, and it is not appropriate to use it to translate "is". Descartes famously said, "I think, therefore I am". I think here, so I exist. If translated literally, it should be translated into "I think, therefore I am" according to the original text, which is difficult to understand. The above shows that there is a very important category "existence" in the west, which is difficult to translate into Chinese. Learning western philosophy must have a deep understanding.
Secondly, comparing China and western languages, there are sometimes differences between two nouns in Chinese, but there is no difference in the west. For example, China's "brother", elder brother and younger brother are two words. In the west, "brother" is a word "brother", and there is no distinction between brothers and brothers. China's word "heart" is expressed by two nouns in the west: one is "heart", the thinking heart and the other is "thought". Quot "heart" means heart, so westerners use "heart" to separate "heart" from "heart". China used the word "heart", so did the heart and the thinking organ, which was rather vague. The so-called "you" in the west is a combination of "you" and "you", and its meaning is also vague.
There is also a term "country" that has little to do with philosophy. The word "country" in China's philosophy is a word separated from the west: one is "country", the other is "country" and the other is "nation". "State" is a state organ, "State" is a national territory, and "nation" is a nation. In the west, national territory and state machine are two nouns, while China is a noun with ambiguity. China's philosophy is sometimes expressed by one noun, while western philosophy is divided into several different nouns, which shows that analytical thinking is relatively clear.
Fourth, the relationship between heaven and man and the relationship between subject and object.
Now many scholars are interested in this problem. What does China's philosophy say about the relationship between heaven and man? Do you also talk about the subject-object relationship? The so-called relationship between man and nature is the relationship between man and nature. The meaning of "Tian" in ancient China had a changing process. It turns out that the field is the sky overhead. Later, the sky is sometimes the meaning of God, the highest God, and the destiny is God's command. Such philosophers call it the day of rule because it is the master of all things. Some philosophers acknowledge the dominant heaven and deny it. His thoughts take a vague form and vacillate there. Sometimes it is considered that heaven is the "highest principle", as Mencius said, heaven refers to the highest principle. Since the Warring States period, thinkers have said that heaven represents the whole nature, while Xunzi and others have said that heaven talks about nature, nature? Quot The so-called "heaven refers to nature" in the so-called "harmony between man and nature" uses the third meaning of "heaven".
Many thinkers in ancient China said that the proposition of "harmony between man and nature" also had a development process. In the Han dynasty, it was Dong Zhongshu who clearly put forward the unity of heaven and man. He said that "the harmony between man and nature is-"(Spring and Autumn Stories Textual Research). But Dong Zhongshu's heaven has two meanings: one is God; The other is the sky above. He thinks that God is the sky above him, and the sky above him is God. He also believes that God and the sky above him are similar to people, and that "heaven and man are alike" (Spring and Autumn Stories, Man's Deputy Heaven). He put forward a saying called "man's deputy sky", which contains many days, and the human body also shows many digits, which are consistent with each other. The most obvious example is that the sky has twelve months every year, and the human body has twelve big bones, which are in harmony with the sky. This idea is completely far-fetched and superficial.
In Song Dynasty, Zhang Zai also talked about "the harmony between man and nature", and he clearly put forward the word "the harmony between man and nature". Zhang Zai's proposition of "harmony between man and nature" is mainly aimed at Buddhism. He said that Buddhism denies the objectivity of heaven and the objective reality of nature, which is completely wrong. He said that nature is also an objective reality, and so is heaven and man. The integration of the two is called "the unity of heaven and man". Zhang Zai expressed the idea of harmony between man and nature in eight words: "Gan Kun's parents, people and things" (Zheng Menggan said). Gankun is heaven and earth, and heaven and earth are the mother of all things on earth, and all things on earth are born from heaven and earth. He also said that my parents were just figures of speech. The people are my compatriots and everything is my partner and friend. The words "people and things" are very popular now, which started with Zhang Zai. In a word, Zhang Zai believes that being born in nature is a part of nature. In nature, many animals and plants coexist with me, so we should take care of them. This is the meaning of Zhang Zai's thought of "harmony between man and nature", which has a great influence on later generations.
In the history of China's philosophy, some people also talked about the distinction between heaven and man, and disapproved of the unity of heaven and man. There are two representatives: one is Xunzi, who said that the person who knows the difference between heaven and man is the highest person; One is Liu Yuxi, who said that "Heaven and man win each other" ("The Theory of Heaven"), that is, heaven and man are integrated, and the characteristics of heaven surpass those of man, which is called "Heaven and man win each other". What are the characteristics of the sky? It is the ability of all things to grow, and everything is weak; However, in human society, it is different. When the moral law is established, strength alone is not enough. Only contribution can be praised and respected. Therefore, in China's philosophy, some people talk about the unity of heaven and man, while others talk about the separation of heaven and man.
The idea of harmony between man and nature contains the significance of caring for nature and maintaining ecological harmony. Over the years, many western thinkers have also emphasized the inseparable relationship between man and nature, which is similar to the so-called "harmony between man and nature" in China's philosophy.
Western traditional thought emphasizes the victory over nature and the victory over nature. Natural science is a tool for human beings to overcome nature. Bacon said that knowledge is power, and human beings can overcome nature with knowledge. From Bacon to 19 and the 20th century, the West defeated nature with science and technology, which can be said to have made great achievements, but it also destroyed nature and was punished by nature. Engels also talked about this issue, and the West was punished by nature on many issues, so Engels particularly emphasized the unity of spirit and nature.
China also talked about the relationship between subject and object in ancient times. There were no terms of subject and object in ancient China, but there were similar terms. China discussed the relationship between "self" and "thing" in ancient times. "ego" is itself, that is, the subject, and "thing" is the external thing, that is, the object. It is incorrect to think that there was no relationship between subject and object in ancient China. "The Doctrine of the Mean" says that we should not only achieve ourselves, but also achieve things, not only to complete ourselves, but also to help foreign things reach the realm of completion; At the same time, it also talks about "internal and external combination", in which the theme is inside and the object is outside.
However, the relationship between subject and object is still outstanding in the west. I think the relationship between heaven and man and the relationship between subject and object are the unity of opposites. In recent years, many people have been emphasizing subjectivity, but we should also pay attention to the object. It is also one-sided and wrong to talk only about the subject and not about the object. The first article of Lenin's Principles of Dialectics is "objectivity of observation", which emphasizes both subjectivity and objectivity, both of which are very important.
Verb (abbreviation of verb) Similarities and differences between Chinese and Western life ideals
What's the difference between Chinese and western philosophy of life? China pays more attention to interpersonal relationships, while the West pays more attention to individuals and freedom, which is a significant difference between them.
China's philosophy talks about five ethics: father and son, monarch and minister, couple, brother and friend. Every marriage has a standard: father and son are related, monarch and minister are righteous, husband and wife are different, young and old are orderly, and friends are trustworthy. Philosophers in China, especially Confucianists, emphasize that everyone lives in human relations and should abide by the principles of human relations. The content of human relations is more complicated, the relationship between monarch and minister is unequal, and so are husband and wife, father and son. This is a defect of China's ethical thought, which hinders the progress of China society. This kind of unequal human relations should be broken, criticizing the old morality and opposing the old tradition in the May 4th Movement. Quot Three Cardinal Principles "The May 4th Movement played a progressive role.
The west emphasizes individual freedom, and philosophically speaking atomism, an atom is an atom, which is independent of each other. Everyone is as interdependent as an atom. Emphasize individual freedom and independence.
Although China talked about human relations, on the other hand, he also talked about personal dignity, which is a feature of Confucianism and Taoism. In the relationship between monarch and minister, I am not absolutely obedient to you. If you take my advice and show me respect, then I can serve you and help you. If you don't respect me, I'll resign and leave. Confucius has two words: "The three armed forces can seize the position of commander in chief, but ordinary men can't seize the ambition" (The Analects of Confucius, Zi Han). Therefore, on the one hand, Confucianism emphasizes that subjects should serve the monarch, on the other hand, it also emphasizes that subjects have personal dignity, which is a characteristic of Confucianism. Mencius made it clear that life is very important, but there is something more important than life, that is, personal dignity that is more precious than life. Therefore, there is a tradition in Confucianism, that is, "a scholar can kill but not humiliate." Taoism emphasizes this point and individual freedom. Mencius suggested that everyone has his intrinsic value, which can never be deprived. The content of intrinsic value is moral consciousness. It can be said that China had a "natural value theory" in ancient times, but it lacked the concept of natural human rights. China's natural value is moral, while western natural human rights are legal.
Finally, talk about the future of China's philosophy.
After the Opium War, Western learning spread to the east. In fact, before the Opium War, many western philosophers also appreciated and praised China's philosophy. China should really learn from the West now. China Revolution solved China's big problem with Marxism. Now, on the one hand, we should learn from the West and seriously study Marxism, and at the same time, we should carry forward the fine tradition of China's philosophy. The problem of method is very important. We should not only adhere to materialist dialectics, but also absorb western analytical methods. Now an important issue is the issue of values. We should correctly understand the relationship between individuals and society, and the relationship between material life and spiritual life. In short, under the guidance of the universal truth of Marxism, we should carry forward the excellent tradition of China culture.