CONFUCIANISMANDCOSMOPOLITANISM.docx
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CONFUCIANISMANDCOSMOPOLITANISM.docx
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CONFUCIANISMANDCOSMOPOLITANISM
CONFUCIANISMANDCOSMOPOLITANISM
FredDallmayr
UniversityofNotreDame
Igreatlyappreciatethisopportunitytoparticipateinthissecond“NishanForumonWorldCivilizations,”aforumwhichseekstounderscoreandstrengthentheideaofthe“harmonyofcultureswithdiversity.”Thisisindeedanimportantideaandonewhichhasbeendeartomyheartforsometime.Igreatlywelcomedthemottoofa“dialogueamongcivilizations”launchedbythePresidentofIranMohammadKhatamiattheendoflastcentury,amottopickedupbytheUnitedNationsGeneralAssemblywhenitdecidedtodesignate2001asthe“YearofDialogueamongCivilizations.”Ayearlater,in2002,IpublishedabooktitledDialogueAmongCivilizations:
SomeExemplaryVoices.Aboutthesametime,Ijoinedaglobalnon-governmentalorganizationwhichiscalled“WorldPublicForum—DialogueofCivilizations.”IhavebeenactiveinthatorganizationsincethattimeandpresentlyIserveasitsExecutiveCo-Chair.
IamveryhappytoseethattheideaofcivilizationaldialoguehasalsofoundahomeinChina,moreparticularlyintheNishanForumwhosefirstinauguralmeetingin2011coincidedwiththetenthanniversaryoftheUnitedNations“YearofDialogue.”IamevenmorehappynotingthelocationoftheNishanForumnearthebirthplaceofConfucius.Nobetterplacecouldhavebeenfoundforaforumonworldcivilizations,becauseConfucius,inmymind,embodiesperfectlywhatitmeanstobecivilized.HereIhavetoconfesstoyoumylong-standingfascinationwith,andattractionto,thesageofQufu.Itisnowroughlytwodecadesago,in1991,thatIfirstvisitedChina.TheoccasionwasaninternationalconferenceheldattheUniversityofNanjingonthetopic“TraditionalChineseThoughtandCultureandthe21stCentury.”ThecentralfocusoftheconferencewastherelevanceandviabilityofindigenousChinesetraditionsinthefaceoftherelentlessmodernizationandWesternizationoftheglobe.AmongChinesetraditions,Confucianismclearlyoccupiedthelimelightofattention.TheUniversityofNanjingwaskindenoughtoprovidemewithaguidewho,aftertheconference,tookmetoQufuandalsothesacredmountainofTaishan.So,myrootsintheConfuciantraditionaredeep(althoughIamnot,anddonotclaimtobe,aprofessionalSinologist).
TheissueIwanttoaddresstodayistherelationbetweenworldcivilizations,andespeciallythedialogueamongcivilizations,andConfucianism.Theissueneedstobeexploredontwolevels.First,Iwanttoprofilemoreclearlythemeaningofadialogueamongcivilizations;andforthispurposeIneedtodifferentiatesuchdialoguefromotherpossible—andhistoricallyrecorded—relationsbetweenculturesorcivilizations.Next,IwanttoexaminehowConfucianismfitsintotheserelationsamongculturesandwhatroleitcanplaythere.Finally,Iask:
IsConfucianismasuitablepartnerinthedialogueamongcivilizationstoday?
RelationsbetweenCivilizations
Relationsbetweencultures—weknowwell—arenotalwaysfriendly,welcomingordialogical.Amainexampleofabstentionfromdialogueisthelimitcaseofdeliberatenon-relation,thatis,theavoidanceofculturalcontact.Foravarietyofmotivations—whichmayrangefromfearfulapprehensiontohaughtyarrogance—aculturemaychoosetoshunoutsidecontactsandtoconcentrateentirelyonthecultivationofindigenouslegaciesortraditions.Incommonparlance,thispracticeofavoidanceiscalled“isolationism.”Avoidedoutsidesarenotnecessarilydemeaned(althoughthereisastrongtendencytodoso);theymayalsobeconsideredsimplyirrelevantorinsignificant.Theyareinanycasenotrecognizedasequalmembersofthehumanfamily.Epithetsdesignatingoutsidersmayrangefromtheneutralexpression“foreigners”tosuchclearlypejorativelabelsas“infidels,”“savages,”or“barbarians.”
Thereareadvantagesanddisadvantagesassociatedwithisolationism.Fromtheperspectiveoftheavoidingculture,amainadvantageistheexclusionofharmfulordestructiveinfluences,especiallyinfluencesseenasdebilitatingforindigenouswaysoflife.Suchprotectionismisparticularlyimportant(andevensensible)inthecaseofweekorfledgingsocietiesindangerofbeingoverrunbyexternalproductsandpractices.Thedisadvantageofisolationistpoliciesisthedangerofculturalstagnationorossification,oftheprogressiveroutinizationofsocialconductstiflingallimpulsesofinnovationorculturalreform.IsolationismofthiskindwaspracticedtoalargeextentduringtheQingdynastyinChina—andthepricetobepaidwasscientificandeconomicstagnation(renderingChinavulnerabletounequaltreatiesandotherformsofexternalcontrol).Fordifferentreasons,isolationism—theavoidanceof“foreignentanglements”—waspracticedbytheUnitedStatesduringmuchofthenineteenthcentury,butwithlessgrievousresults.Inlargemeasure,theinternaldynamismofayoungandexpandingnationprovidedasheetanchoragainststagnation—althoughtendenciestowarddogmaticfixationwereevidentin“KnowNothing”movements(directedagainstimmigrants)andothermodesofself-enclosure.
Anothertypeofnon-relationor(better)defectiverelationbetweenculturesorcivilizationsisunilateralism,thatis,theone-sidedimpositionofideasandpracticesbyonecultureonanother.Sometimes,theimpositionortransferencemaybeonlypartialandoccurslessthroughstrategicdesignthanculturalcontagionorosmosis.Thus,whatisoftenreferredtoas“Westernization”isinmanywaysanearlysubliminalprocessofthedisseminationofculturalsymbols,signals,andpreferences.Whenthisdisseminationisbackedupbymilitaryandadministrativepower(asitfrequentlyis),wespeakof“imperialism”and/or“colonialism”;awidelyusedcode-wordforthelattertodayiscultural-political“hegemony.”Thepursuitofimperialorhegemonicpoliciesisaconstanttemptationofbignationsandlargecivilizations—althoughitcanalsosurfaceamongsmallerormedium-sizecountriesstrivingforbignessorgreatness(suchasa“GreaterGermany,”a“GreaterSerbia,”ora“GreaterThisorThat”).Theperceivedbenefitofsuchpoliciesistheacquisitionofgeopoliticalpower,oflandmassesandresources.Thedrawbackistheendemicdefectofunilateralism,thatis,theatrophyoftheabilitytolearn(fromothers)andhencethedangerofautisticself-enclosure(whichapproximatesimperialismtoisolationism).
Ashistoryteaches,imperialism/colonialismhasbeenasteadycompanionorbyproductofWesterncivilization,fromtheMacedonianandRomanEmpiresinantiquitytotheBritishandFrenchEmpiresinmoderntimes.Toalesserextent,imperialistventurescanalsobefoundoutsidetheWesternorbit,forexample,inIslamiccultureandsomeEastAsiancountries(mainlyJapan).Curiously,althoughcertainlyabigorlargecivilization,Chinahashistoricallynotbeendrawntopoliticalormilitaryimperialism(althoughitsculturalcontagionhascertainlyaffectedmuchofAsia).Onecanspeculateaboutthedifferentproclivitiestowardimperialism.Asculturalhistorianstellus,ChinahastraditionallyfoundacertainfullnessorwholenessintheMiddleKingdomwhichmitigatedtheimpulseforexpansion.Bycontrast,Westerncivilizationwasalwaysmarkedbyasenseoflackorhauntingdisorderwhichfueledthedesiretoimposepoliticalorderontheworld,bothathomeandabroad.
Irrespectiveofthecorrectnessorincorrectnessofthisspeculation,oneconclusioncanbedrawn:
namely,thatwholenessorcompletenesscannotbefoundthroughunilateralism,thatis,thetop-downimpositionoforderfromonecivilizationonothers.ThisleadsmetowhatIconsiderthemostpromisingorbeneficialmodeoftheencounterbetweenculturesorcivilizations:
themodeof“dialogueamong(orbetween)civilizations.”Inthismode,culturesdonotspurnorshuneachother;nordotheyseektofoistonewayoflifeonothercultures(inanexerciseofculturaland/orpoliticalimperialism).Ratherculturesherearewillingtoundergoalearningexperiencepromotedthroughdialogue,mutualtesting,andconstructivelycriticalinterrogation.Undertheauspicesofinterrogation,wholenessorcompletenesscannotbepresupposedorunilaterallyfabricated.Instead,wholenesshereisanongoingprocessandonlytentativelyanticipatedinthecutandthrustofmutualengagement.Tothisextent,wholenesscannotbesummedupinastaticformulabutisadynamicallymovingfeastaccomplishedthroughimaginativeandcreativerenewal.
Creativeencountersofthiskindarerelativelyinfrequentinhistory;buttheyarenotwithoutprecedents.Thus,intheearlycenturies(C.E.),sustainedlearningprocessestookplacebetweenChristiantheologiansandGreco-Romanintellectualandculturaltraditions.Afewcenturieslater,theseprocessesextendedintoatriadicconversationbetweenChristian,Islamic,andGreco-Romanstrandsofthought.Almostamillenniumearlier,onemayrecall,fruitfulculturalexchangeswerecarriedonintheFarEast,betweenBuddhist,Daoist,andConfuciantraditionsorwaysoflife.Whateverthefrequencyofsuchexchangesmayhavebeeninthepast,ourcontemporaryageofrapidglobalizationrendersdialogicalengagementnotonlymorepossiblebutalsoanear-mandatoryobligation—unlesswewanttodescendintounilateraldominationorthe“clashofcivilization.”
ConfucianismandWorldCivilizations
IftheidealtypesofculturalencounterareasIhavesketchedthemabove,whataretheimplicationsforConfucianismandcontemporarypractitionersoftheConfuciantradition?
WhatarethelessonsthatespeciallyChineseConfucianistscandrawfrommydiscussion?
Asitseemstome,practitionersha
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