Philosophical contemplation of culture

Author: Hu Xiao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features:
V. In the process of promoting electronic culture, it is essential to study the philosophical concepts and spiritual characteristics of media culture, correcting one-sided cultural development and irrational tendencies. Western scholars believe that language is the home of being. A language is linked to a specific culture, determining the unique way people perceive the world. This teaches us from an important perspective that the media of culture and its modes of expression, as the technological conditions of culture, profoundly influence people's cognitive and thinking methods. Since the history of human civilization, the media of social and cultural interaction have gone through three typical stages: oral culture, print culture, and modern electronic culture, each creating unique historical forms for human intellectual development. Analyzing the modes of expression and thinking methods of each typical media culture from a philosophical perspective is an important approach to conducting research in cultural epistemology and philosophical cultural studies. It will deepen the reflection on many philosophical concepts and viewpoints to a new level. At the same time, it also provides a new perspective for rereading the history of philosophy and thought. Modern electronic media, with their numerous cultural characteristics different from traditional media, are widely and profoundly changing people's spiritual lives, thinking, and ideas, and even greatly altering the cultural order of society. Among these changes, there are both encouraging and concerning aspects. We cannot turn a blind eye or be complacent; we should face them with serious observation and reflection, examining their various aspects—pros and cons, right and wrong—to understand their meaning, evaluate their gains and losses, and learn from them. By doing so, we can respond to challenges consciously and proactively, grasping the pulse of cultural development, social laws, and historical characteristics. When this work is well done, it will not only mean that the understanding of the cultural state and foundation of philosophy will be historically refreshed but also that philosophical thinking and cultural concepts themselves will undergo significant changes. At the same time, at the level of practical life and cultural construction, there will also be unforeseen benefits. At the level of rational operation, in-depth research on media and cognition must not only creatively apply principles and viewpoints from fields such as linguistics, semiotics, hermeneutics, cultural studies, communication studies, interaction studies, and general philosophy, revitalizing their new interpretive functions and rational vitality; but it may also advance the research and construction of these theoretical systems, bringing about significant original academic value. Therefore, the study of the epistemology of media culture is an academic mission with great potential and worth pursuing. The above discussion, as the preface to the book The Metaphysical Reflection on Culture, includes many opinions both within and outside the book. Those within the book are discussed in many chapters, which involve or directly address the above opinions, though the approaches and expressions differ. They are often presented through interpreting specific cultural phenomena to demonstrate a methodological philosophy of academic theory, or by applying certain established methodological principles and viewpoints to interpret related cultural phenomena. Those outside the book are the major issues arising from the concentrated reflection on the concepts of cultural philosophy. These issues concern a much broader scope than the content of this book, making it impossible to discuss and present them all within its pages. Therefore, for the author, this book is merely a part of the long academic journey in cultural philosophy and cultural epistemology