The transformation of traditional morality to modern morality

Author: Wang Xiaozhao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: In the history of Chinese academia, there are few eras that can truly be called "new." The most recent such era occurred in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. This was a time of turbulence and hardship in Chinese history, but it was also an era of intellectual creativity and the emergence of great masters. In the intense collision between Chinese and Western learning, as well as between tradition and modernity, brilliant ideas emerged not only in the fields of literature, history, and philosophy but also in the realm of science, giving rise to a constellation of brilliant thinkers. This was an era that could rival the Hundred Schools of Thought in pre-Qin China. If this era had lasted for several hundred years like the pre-Qin period, Chinese scholars could have, like our ancestors, created a modern Chinese culture that would be celebrated by later generations and capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with Western dominant cultures. However, history does not allow for assumptions, and the merciless facts of history are that this academic new era ended too soon. The transformation of culture and the reconstruction of morality are the themes of this book, while cross-cultural comparison serves as its fundamental method. "Only by engaging in the exploration of different historical and cultural contexts can a person break free from the narrow constraints of their own existence, cast a light on the ages, establish a purpose for their life, and find a clear path for the future of the world. The author attempts to explore the theory of cultural transformation in the historical processes of Chinese and foreign cultures, and to elucidate some fundamental theoretical issues in contemporary moral construction in the collision between traditional culture and modernity."