One hundred years ago, on the issue of "learning from Western civilization", Hu Shi and others radically advocated "total westernization", which aroused the worries and doubts of the Chinese people. So, when we look at this issue a hundred years later, how should we objectively evaluate it?
More than 2,000 years of dynastic succession and chaos, as well as more than 100 years of historical disasters, have revealed an irrefutable fact: relying on the stock of ideological and cultural resources, it is difficult for China to establish a minimum common bottom line.
In order to realize the transformation of society and move towards a truly modern civilization, we must abandon the blind arrogance of cognition and the fatal conceit of subconsciously changing the world, and return to the great tradition of the universality of all mankind and find new ideological resources.
Fortunately, in recent years, more and more people have begun to follow what Mr. Zhou Youguang said, "Don't look at the world from China, but look at China from the world", transform their thinking and cognition, and enlighten the people around them with difficulty.
So, how exactly do you look at China from the world?
First, abandon cognitive arroganceRationally look at the position of traditional culture in human civilization
Ren Jiantao, a well-known scholar, pointed out that distinguishing between civilization and barbarism is much more important than distinguishing between ancient and modern times, and between China and the West.
In fact,Modern civilization, with freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and science as its basic core, is not the patent of Europe and the United States, but the result of thousands of years of accumulation, selection, and integration of all mankind.
China and the West have experienced countless wars and famines in history, and Europeans have been enslaved by popes or emperors for a long time, but since the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215, through the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution and the Capitalist Revolution, step by step towards the road of modern civilization, leading the world for hundreds of years until today.
Japan, which is part of the Oriental cultural sphere, has gradually embarked on the path of modern civilization since the late 19th century, and has enjoyed long-term peace and stability for half a century after World War II. One of the most important reasons for this is that it has absorbed a lot of elements of Western civilization in its own culture.
However, since the Meiji Restoration began to open the country, Japan initially pursued "a rich country and a strong army", but despised ideas and systems, and thus went astray, bringing great disasters to its own country and the world. After its defeat in World War II, Japan liquidated militarism and achieved a relatively thorough social transformation.
Clearly, Japan's successful transformation has a lot to offer China.
Second, respect for the right of private choiceEspecially private capital and religious beliefs
China has always been ashamed of the cultural tradition of talking about money and valuing agriculture and suppressing business, and has demonized capital and businessmen with such sayings as "money is like dung" and "no business is not treacherous".
However, judging from the lessons provided by the history of human civilization, the various freedoms of the people must be premised on the "mutual recognition of private property"; The spirit of mutual assistance and contract between people has gradually matured precisely in the market game of free choice and survival of the fittest.
On a deeper level,Human beings are animals of ideas, and in order to achieve long-term peace and stability for the people of a country, they must solve the legitimacy of power through contracts, "put power in the cage of the system", and protect the private rights of individuals.
People need to have a common bottom line to make a contract. Without the belief of "above others" to bind people's hearts, and without the cultivation of a market economy, it is difficult for a group of people to establish a common bottom line, even if they reach the "balance of violence" countless times, and even trust in daily life is difficult to achieve - this dilemma is especially obvious in traditional China.
Cultures such as valuing agriculture and suppressing business, contempt for the individual, and worship of power are often inseparable from the traditional "freedom factor", how can we get out of the prisoner's dilemma and establish a common bottom line?
In the face of a difficult transition, we should keep in mind the admonitions of the prophets Hayek and Yang Xiaokai:If there is no fair competition in the commodity market, enterprises with high quality and low price will occupy the magpie's nest; Without free competition in the market of ideas, erroneous ideas will poison the world.
Therefore, we must not ignore the role of commercial civilization and religious belief, still less infringe upon individuals' private property and freedom of belief. Some scholars believe that the democratic transformation of South Korea in the 1980s is inseparable from the development of the free market and religious faith groups.
Whether today's Chinese choose the "Hebrew-**God faith" originating from the Near East, or the "Zhou Gong-Kongmeng" Heavenly Dao belief in China, it is the most basic personal freedom. Secondly, these traditional transcendent beliefs are conducive to the return of folk morality and the development of a harmonious society.
Third, get out of the shackles of the soulEmbrace civilization with a free and inclusive mindset
The Chinese in the traditional society are undoubtedly the most realistic people in the world. Any culture in the world has some symbols that transcend the human world, but the belief of traditional society is to "live and live", which excludes the meaning of faith and soul in life, and only cares about living.
The ancient Greek historian Thucydides said, "The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is bravery", without freedom, happiness is far away.
It is impossible for a person who does not know what freedom is to have true happiness and to understand what modern civilization is.
It is precisely because of the unremitting pursuit of freedom that human society has become more and more civilized. In contrast, the ancient Chinese were torn between slavery and rebellion for thousands of years, and one of the most important reasons was the lack of pursuit of freedom.
Lord Acton once said:"The idea of liberty is the most precious value ideal - it is the supreme law in the life of human society. ”
Lord Acton has been hailed as the "prophet of liberalism", and from the depths of his mind it is possible to explore the true thread of the tradition of human freedom.
When he wrote The Cambridge Modern History of the World, he wanted it to be a history of human freedom, to point the way to those who are still in the dark.
More than 100 years ago, around the introduction of Western civilization, Chinese had concerns and doubts about "total Westernization". However, countless facts and logic have shown that the fear of "total Westernization" is unfounded, and the desire for "total Westernization" is also wishful thinking.
Only in the collision and competition of free choice will excellent cultures complement each other and last for a long time. Japan, South Korea, and Singapore have been absorbing Western civilization without burden, but this has not prevented them from inheriting the traditional virtues of the Eastern style – their culture has not died out, but has become a representative of the cultural revival of the East.
In an era of globalization, China's cultural advantages and tradition of freedom inherited since ancient times have more opportunities and resources to surpass those of Japan and South Korea, bringing long-term peace and stability to the people of the world, and it is also fully qualified to continue the tradition of freedom of all mankind and inject new vitality into human civilization.
A retro fan made by Chinese girl Shi Jiaran.
So, how can we see China today? How can we properly talk to the world? Of course, we must re-find the most fundamental source of civilization and stand at the height of the world, so that we can jump out of the limitations of a narrow field of vision, get rid of the shackles of all kinds of erroneous concepts, break through the barriers of regional cultures, and understand our own coordinates in the long river of history.
To look at the world, we must first look at the modern history of the world. We live on the extension of modern history, and the events of modern times and their evolutionary logic have undoubtedly profoundly shaped the "modernity" in which we live.
To this end, I would like to recommend the hardcover edition of "The New Cambridge Modern History of the World". This is a historical masterpiece that looks at countries around the world (including China) from a global perspective, brings together the thoughts of world-class scholars, and is a historical encyclopedia covering all major events in the modern world.
This magnificent work of nearly 10 million words, written from the Renaissance to the end of World War II, belongs to the well-deserved "authority of authority" among general history works. What is particularly rare is that the book is divided into ideological and logical sections, and it also deliberately highlights the economic history of each period, which is the real "history of man".
Since the 1990s, the first edition of the Chinese Simplified Chinese edition of "The New Cambridge Modern History of the World" has been published in more than ten volumes, causing huge social shock, and was once out of print. This set of books is a good choice for people who love modern civilization. If you are interested, please click on the product card below for details.