Obstruction and entry

Author: (French) Jürgen Habermas
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-02-01
Features: There are many reasons why people are interested in China. It may be due to its splendid and rich civilization, or because of its increasingly prominent role in the world. A particularly dialectical reason that motivated me to learn Chinese is that the Chinese language lies outside the vast Indo-European language system, opening up another possibility for writing. Because Chinese civilization is one of the oldest civilizations and has developed independently for a long time without practical reference or influence from Europe, it serves as a medium for rethinking the traditional Greek heritage of the West. The author aims to show Westerners the logic and special effectiveness of the "circumvent"—this other meaning strategy, which stands in contrast to the "direct." A Western scholar, through the interpretation of ancient Chinese classics, discovers a discourse of "signifiers" that is not intended to be universally essential. From this, the richness and wisdom of Chinese culture emerge: How does distance become an effective source? Or, to put it another way: What does Yu Hui rely on to provide access?