Dialogue on Views on Civilization ｜ Yan Yilong

Chinese Civilization Can Make up for the Global Deficit in Civilization

In the 20s of the 21st century, human society finds itself at a tumultuous crossroads, facing numerous crises and encountering issues such as fiscal deficit, governance deficit, ecological deficit, peace deficit, public health deficit, and more.

Fundamentally speaking, many of the challenging and unresolved issues humanity faces today stem from deficits and crises brought about by the old world civilization.

The world is currently in a historical vortex of unprecedented changes that occur once in centuries. The revival and modernization transformation of China and other non-Western civilizations can help bridge the deficit in global civilizations, surpass the old forms of world civilizations, and create new forms of human civilization, seeking new outlets for human civilization.

From the hierarchy of civilizations to the equality of civilizations

Humanity needs to transcend the divisive view on civilizations as either "civilized" or "barbaric" and the hierarchical perception that assigns levels of superiority to civilizations. This hierarchical view on civilizations forms the basis for an unequal international order and provides justification for powerful nations to engage in aggression, exploitation and assimilation of weaker nations based on a civilization discourse.

As General Secretary Xi Jinping rightly stated, humans differ only in terms of skin color and language, and civilizations exhibit diverse and vibrant colors, but there should be no distinction of superiority or inferiority. It is foolish to believe that one's own race and civilization are superior to others and to persistently seek to transform or even replace other civilizations. Such thinking is ignorant, and the actions stemming from it can be catastrophic.

The essence of the Western view on civilization is actually a hierarchical perception that opposes civilization to barbarism. Civilization is seen as something that develops within city-states, while barbarians are considered foreign people without citizenship, and the term further implies a lack of knowledge, adherence to different religions, and rudeness. During the so-called "Age of Discovery" in the late 15th and 16th centuries, when Westerners used force to conquer and plunder regions like the Americas, they simultaneously sought to transform and tame the so-called barbarians in their eyes using Western civilization as a means, thus justifying their acts of forceful plundering.

In modern times, some Japanese intellectuals have also embraced this hierarchical view on civilizations, categorizing countries around the world into civilized nations, semi-civilized nations and barbaric nations. This notion of a hierarchical civilization order has served as the ideological foundation for Japan's pursuit of "escaping Asia and joining Europe".

Even today, many people in the West still adhere to the hierarchical view on civilizations, considering the Western world as a "garden" of civilization and other countries as "jungles" of barbarism. They perceive Western values as universal values and create binary concepts of civilization hierarchy, such as democracy/autocracy, freedom/authoritarianism, and so on. They often resort to military conquest, regime change, sanctions and other measures against countries that do not meet their standards. This unequal view on civilizations is precisely the root cause of many conflicts and contradictions in the world.

The Book of Changes (Yi Jing) states, "When the dragon is seen in the field, it signifies world civilization." China's "world civilization view" embodies the concept of inclusiveness, harmony amid diversity, and equal integration, rather than a view that emphasizes racial, internal-external, hierarchical or adversarial relationships in civilizations.

The view on civilization in the Book of Changes (Yi Jing) is related to the Li hexagram. Many of the divinatory statements associated with the Li hexagram discuss civilization, such as "Today the sun rises, tomorrow the sun rises, continuously without pause. This is the symbol of the Li hexagram. When nobles and royalty observe this symbol, they embody a continuous and radiant light that shines upon all directions." The Li hexagram represents fire and brightness, symbolizing a civilization that spreads light, warmth, equality and universality. The Bi hexagram combines inner Li and outer Gen, providing a specific description of our understanding of civilization and culture: "The interplay of strength and flexibility is observed in the heavens, which refers to natural phenomena. Civilization is achieved through order, which refers to human culture. Observe the changes in the heavens to understand the passage of time, observe human culture to bring harmony to the world."

Today, humanity needs to transcend the hierarchical view on civilizations and embrace the idea that "One should value not only one's own culture, but also the cultures of others, and this will contribute to the flourishing of all cultures". No civilization should claim superiority over others; instead, there should be equal dialogue and exchange. Civilization should not be about conquering or transforming others but rather about respecting, appreciating, learning from and empowering one another.

From the theory of clash of civilizations to the theory of cultural integration

Closely associated with the hierarchical view on civilizations is the theory of clash of civilizations. This erroneous perspective on civilizations has become the cognitive root of conflicts, opposition and even wars in human society. The belief is that those who share the same faith are allies, while those of different religions are enemies. Throughout history, religious wars have persisted both among different religions and within the same religion among different sects. Today, conflicts between different ideologies, races and ways of life have also become the basis for internal conflicts within nations and for wars and conflicts in international relations between different countries, originating from the discourse of civilizations.

China, drawing from its own extensive civilizational experience, has come to recognize that different civilizations can interact and blend with each other, giving rise to higher forms of civilization. 

Firstly, civilization, at its highest level, is universal. The commonality of humanity surpasses its particularities, and amidst countless variations, there is an underlying unity. The three major philosophical traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism initially engaged in debates and exclusion, but eventually moved towards integration.

Under the premise of communication and understanding, inclusiveness arises. The relationships between civilizations will not be as Huntington claimed, where culture almost always follows power. Instead, dialogue between civilizations is always accompanied by wisdom and growth.

Furthermore, different cultures can complement and absorb from each other. Although traditional Chinese culture is predominantly influenced by Confucianism, it is characterized by the integration of the three teachings (Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism) and the diversity of the Hundred Schools of Thought. At the individual level, Buddhism focuses on self-cultivation, Taoism emphasizes inner harmony, and Confucianism emphasizes social engagement, thus complementing each other. At the level of national governance, Confucianism emphasizes social ethics and order, Legalism emphasizes state laws and institutions, the Art of War focuses on national defense and warfare, Diplomacy emphasizes foreign relations, Yin-Yang theory focuses on astronomy and geography, and Taoism emphasizes the well-being of the people. These various schools of thought complement and absorb from each other.

Lastly, civilizations have the ability to "create new forms through collision." The collision and integration of civilizations can generate new forms of civilization, propelling the development of civilization to a new level. In history, Chinese civilization entered a new stage of development by assimilating the Buddhist civilization that came from India. The introduction of Buddhism did not destroy the existing Taoist and Confucian teachings, but rather stimulated the development of both Taoist and Confucian doctrines.

In modern times, China has introduced Marxism and assimilated and learned from Western modern civilization, which has also propelled the development of Chinese civilization into a completely new stage, creating a new form of human civilization.

Nowadays, humanity should transcend the theory of clash of civilizations and embrace the theory of cultural integration. It is important to encourage communication, mutual learning and integration among different civilizations. All civilizations develop themselves through interaction and fusion with other civilizations. The process of fusion with other civilizations does not imply losing one's own identity, but rather becoming an improved and greater version of oneself. Together, we can contribute to the formation of a new and enhanced form of human civilization.

From "every man for himself" to a community of shared future for humanity

From the perspective of reductionism and analytical thinking, the world is continuously divided into levels such as nations, regions, populations, families and individuals. These different units and individuals have conflicting interests, and under conditions of resource scarcity, people and nations are in a state of "war," as described by Hobbes, both openly and covertly. Particularly in international relations, there exists a state of anarchy, where countries are engaged in a "every man for himself" situation.

The strategy of realism aims to avoid a state of war through a balance of power. However, the reality of international relations demonstrates that opposing nations always seek to expand their strategic advantages. The balance of power is often disrupted, leading to new conflicts, and the establishment of a new balance of power requires war. Liberalism, on the other hand, seeks to prevent a state of war through international agreements. However, this set of rules is often manipulated by hegemonic powers, becoming a tool to strike against their strategic rivals.

We need to approach our world from a different perspective. The traditional philosophical thinking in China follows a holistic approach. It emphasizes the concepts of yin and yang and the five elements, viewing everything as interconnected and interrelated. The five elements interact with yin and yang, and yin and yang combine to form the Taiji. According to this perspective, there is a common origin for all things and phenomena in the world.

Starting from a holistic perspective, we can see that humanity is an indivisible community with a shared future. People and nations are not in a state of constant competition and warfare but rather in a state of interconnectedness and interdependence. The happiness of any country is intertwined with the happiness of other countries, and the suffering of other countries will soon become a concern for one's own country as well.

Today, this holistic thinking is becoming more and more evident. Trade, industry, technology and the movement of people are increasingly integrating humanity into an inseparable whole.

In fact, globalization is expanding in scope, breadth and interconnectedness. However, in contrast, there are certain narrow-minded perspectives that do not strive to further advance globalization. Instead, they seek to tear apart the interconnected world through methods such as "decoupling", "outsourcing to friendly shores" and "sanctions".

Laozi has a wise saying: "Observe oneself to understand others, observe one's family to understand other families, observe one's community to understand other communities, observe one's country to understand other countries, observe the world to understand the world." This means that in dealing with anything, one needs to have a scale and mindset that are appropriate to that thing.

When humans view the entire world solely from the narrow perspective of nation-states, the world will inevitably lack peace due to competition for interests and power. Only by approaching the world from the perspective of community with a shared future for humanity can we bid farewell to the state of both overt and covert "warfare".

The concept of a community with a shared future is a holistic approach to international relations. It represents a new perspective on civilization in international relations, emphasizing that human destiny is interconnected and that we must work together rather than pursuing self-interest at the expense of others. It promotes a mindset of common security, common development and common governance. Through connectivity, dialogue and interaction, different civilizations and countries can strive for a brighter shared future.

From the supremacy of technology to technology for the greater good

One hundred years ago, the Western philosopher Bertrand Russell gave a series of lectures in China and later published a book titled "The Problem of China". In this book, he made profound comparisons between Chinese and Western civilizations. He stated that the significant strength of Western civilization lies in its scientific methods, while the strength of Chinese civilization lies in its rational understanding of the purpose of human life. He believed that people undoubtedly hope for the gradual integration of these two strengths.

Since the Industrial Revolution, the view that human knowledge and technology are supreme has brought unprecedented convenience and material prosperity to human life. However, it has also posed significant challenges. We can see the convergence of four major technological revolutions: intelligent technology, life sciences, energy technology and space technology. This convergence will reshape the fundamental structure of human society, propelling human civilization from the industrial age towards the era of digital intelligence. How humanity approaches technology has become a fundamental question for the sustainable survival of human civilization.

True progress in human society cannot be achieved solely through technological advancement; it requires a dual progress of technology and ethics. The absence of ethics is something that no technology or system can compensate for, as it is the root cause of various crises faced by human society.

Until now, Western society has neither found a solution to the moral dilemmas that arise in the secularized modern society, nor has it found a fundamental answer to the question of "the death of God" - if life is merely a purposeless, accidental and fragile existence, why shouldn't it be about maximizing individual interests? Moral preaching often merely provides external packaging for refined selfishness.

The reason why Chinese culture is capable of providing a more reasonable sense of purpose in life lies in its inherent pursuit of civilization and its foundation in moral-based culture.

In the Book of Changes (Yi Jing), all six lines of the Qian hexagram represent the six virtues of a noble person. Confucianism emphasizes the importance of self-cultivation as the foundation, from the emperor to the common people: "Cultivate oneself", "embody virtue", "serve the people", "strive for the ultimate good", "investigate things", "attain knowledge", "be sincere in intentions", "purify the heart", "harmonize the family", "govern the country" and "bring peace to the world". The three principles and eight guidelines of Confucianism fundamentally revolve around the moral character of individuals. Moral character itself is the greatest wealth in life, obtained through inner cultivation. It is also the core "positive energy" of life, as described in the Yi Jing: "A noble person embodies the central harmony, maintains their position in society, finds beauty within, and flourishes in all endeavors." When moral character is cultivated, one's position in society is upright, one's physical health improves, one's endeavors flourish, and family harmony is achieved.

"Just as the light comes from the East," as philosopher Martin Heidegger said, "China arrives as the only world nation." Chinese civilization carries a historic mission to bridge the deficit of human civilization in the present world and lead modern human civilization towards a brighter direction.