Sun Xiangchen: As a "home" as a category of civilization

Professor of Sun Xiangchen Fudan University School of Philosophy. The main research fields are modern Western philosophy, French philosophy, and Chinese philosophy. He is the author of "Anthologist: Individual and Kiss", "Facing others: Research on Levinas Philosophy and Thought", etc.

The issue of "home" has a deep foundation in Chinese cultural traditions, but "home" is not only a cultural tradition, but also should think about the "home" issue from the height of civilization. The perspective of civilization shows a wider and far -reaching dimension contained in the "home" problem in the Chinese tradition.

Civilization theory vision emphasizes the "integrity" of civilization theory: it is all -encompassing and covering a comprehensive lifestyle; "spirituality": Civilization is not just a reflection of utensils and institutionality, it must contain a unique spirit. The fundamental problem provides an idealized solution; "reflection": a shaft -hearted civilization has a mythical stage of awakening instead of immersing in front of the ancient civilization than an ancient civilization; The accumulation and development of history is not a stagnant civilization; "universality": Although the axis civilization often appears in the form of empire, the essence of the essence of civilization itself is a certain universal nature of civilization itself.

Looking at the Chinese civilization from this perspective, we can understand why "home" is a category in the sense of civilization. As a self -reflection animal, human beings are aware of death when reflecting on life. Different civilizations are deeply thinking about this fundamental issue. Ancient Egyptian civilization is based on Egyptian mythology. It pursues immortal by making Mumini crossing the river and pursuing immortality. In Christian civilization, believers believe that they can gain eternal life through belief in God and make individual limited life be saved. In Buddhist civilization, Buddhists believe that the reincarnation will be destroyed, but the soul will be regenerated in reincarnation. In comparison, Chinese civilization is the most rational. It regards the universe as the romance of "endless life", emphasizing that it can express the continuation of life through generations. This is a very healthy desire for life extension, without any extravagance beyond nature. Therefore, in Chinese civilization, "kissing" and "filial piety" have received special attention, and they represent respect for life extension and generations. With this as a premise, "home" has received unprecedented attention in Chinese civilization.

Confucian moral views must be based on human order. Yu Yingshi once said that in the Chinese civilization, "the family 'is undoubtedly the most important and basic part of the social collection." Here, "home" is not only a social organization, but also a way of existence, a unique value concept, forming a world view that is different from "individual". As a worldview, "Home" is more linked to the concepts such as "relationship", "emotion", "responsibility", "overall", and "life". The relationship, emotion, and ethics of "home" provides a new style for us to understand the world around the world. "Home" creates a world as a "homeland", which also indicates a relationship between "I" and the world; in this world, everything does not appear in an independent "individual" form, and the world is not in the "object" The overall built between the world; the world is the home of "I"; at the same time, "I" has a "responsibility" for this world that raises "me". This is also the characteristic of Chinese civilization.

As a "home" as the category of civilization, it must also face the impact of modern civilization. "The respect of everyone's freedom, rights, and dignity" is the threshold of modern civilization. No matter what kind of civilization tradition, it should respect the brilliant achievements of this modern people. Civilization based on "home" can also develop a free concept of respect for individuals. As a "home" in the category of civilization, you must face the question of how to share the world. Today, we must overcome both the view of the world of traditional China and the history of the Western "universalization". Under the contemporary context, the concept of "a family in the world" is to maximize the order of the family in the way of people and things. In the end, we must break the theory of civilization based on the concept of "a family in the world", and re -understand the relationship between civilization through the "New World view".

Source: China Social Science Network-Journal of Social Sciences of China

Author: Sun Xiangchen

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