The Story of Civilization: Colorful Lives

Author: Huayan Shi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-10-01
Features: Civilization is "human-made." We live in civilization, which is a "human-made" world. The farther we are from "nature," the thicker our civilization. Throughout history, various definitions of civilization can only vaguely reveal its essence. When facing civilization, the first concept we must overcome is the so-called "anthropocentrism." Civilization is merely "human" above "heaven" and above "nature." This creation can be "human-made" or done by "other forms of life." We must not assume that because extraterrestrial civilizations have not yet been discovered, "Earth civilization" is the only one. Anthropocentrism is a very dangerous concept. For Earth, it believes humans can dominate and create everything; for extraterrestrial life, it assumes that only humans possess wisdom and dignity in the vast universe.
When facing civilization, the second concept we must overcome is the so-called "raciocentrism." In China, it manifests as the "China-centered theory"; in the West, it appears as the "European-centered theory." Perhaps every ethnic group subconsciously holds this "self-centered" notion. The "China-centered theory" has an extremely strong vitality, from ancient times until the late Ming Dynasty. It was the fundamental way the Chinese viewed the world and their basic mindset. China was the center of the world, the only land of civilization, or the capital of civilization. This mindset was forced to be abandoned only after many years of the Opium War. It was replaced by the "European-centered theory," where Europe was the center of the world, the only capital of civilization. China was pushed to the periphery, becoming a "sick man of the East" (this term "Far East" is proof of the "European-centered theory"). It was neither civilized nor dignified. This "European-centered theory" also has strong vitality, and even now, we cannot say it has been completely abandoned. All these forms of "raciocentrism" are cancerous tumors hindering the healthy development of "Earth civilization."
When facing civilization, the third concept we must overcome is the so-called "hierarchy and superiority theory." It assumes that one civilization is high and superior, while another is low and inferior. In reality, this is entirely baseless. If civilization is merely about nailing horseshoes and piercing ox noses, there are only differences in methods, not distinctions of hierarchy or superiority. Civilizations only face the issue of adaptability to their times. A method that works for one era may not work for another. Chinese civilization once had its own glory because it adapted to its time—the era of agricultural civilization. It declined in modern times because it could not adapt to this era—the era of industrial civilization. Similarly, Western civilization is now the master of the industrial civilization era, but in the post-industrial and post-post-industrial eras, it may no longer be the master. Within a single civilization, there may indeed be elements of "hierarchy and superiority," but it is difficult to distinguish hierarchy and superiority between different civilizations.
When facing civilization, the fourth concept we must overcome is the so-called "civilization conflict theory." It assumes that one civilization is a threat to another, so the threatened civilization tries to limit the threatener's development and living space. In human history, some civilizations have indeed been destroyed—ancient civilizations like Assyria and Babylon, and more recent ones like Maya and Native American civilizations. However, the destruction of civilizations is humanity's shame. Civilizations, like species, need diversity. Species thrive with diversity, and civilizations do too. If there were only one way to nail horseshoes or pierce ox noses, the world would be too monotonous. If there were only one civilization, humanity would be too lonely! Diversity is the foundation of biological "longevity," and it is also the fundamental reliance for the "longevity and greatness" of civilization. Our focus should not always be on "conflict" but on "coexistence." Modern people should embrace the spirit of "Heaven, Earth, and I are one," and "the Dao coexists without contradiction." Conflict is inevitable, but it should never be an excuse for destroying a civilization. The civilizations on Earth will surely shine in "coexistence and reconciliation." Similarly, "extraterrestrial civilizations" and "Earth civilization" will also take the path of "coexistence and reconciliation." The concept of "Star Wars" is obsolete.
Civilization is a long river—it will only flow larger and wider; it will never dry up. Because creating civilization is the very nature of "life," as long as this "life" exists, civilization will never wither. Hainan Publishing House has launched the large-scale series The Story of Civilization, aiming to take the lead in the "popularization of social sciences." In form, The Story of Civilization introduces the history of thousands of years of human civilization in simple, popular, interesting, and vivid language, with each civilization as a unit. The included civilization units are as follows:
Mysterious East—A Journey Through Chinese Civilization
Lost Civilizations—A Journey Through Indian, Egyptian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Persian, and Arab Civilizations
Greece and Rome—A Journey Through Greek and Roman Civilization
The Birth of God—A Journey Through Jewish and Christian Civilization
Civilization Renaissance—A Journey Through Italian and Spanish Civilization
French Civilization—A Journey Through French Civilization
Continental Civilization—A Journey Through German, Austrian, Dutch, and Russian Civilization
Anglo-American Civilization—A Journey Through British and American Civilization
Colorful Life—A Journey Through Social and Political Civilization
The Brilliance of Science—A Journey Through Scientific Civilization
The civilizations mentioned do not necessarily encompass the entirety of human civilization, but they largely cover it. Telling the story of civilization is not a book, but using such beautiful and vivid language to narrate human civilization—it is a book. The Story of Civilization takes on the responsibility of "popularizing social sciences," so what concepts does it seek to instill in the public? In other words, as a work of "popularizing social sciences," what concepts does it aim to move from academia to the masses?
First is the concept of democracy. The book will tell you that autocratic dynasties are often short-lived, and autocratic tyrants are often short-lived as well. There are exceptions, of course—'s Ming Dynasty lasted 277 years. But this is not the norm. Since the Renaissance, the mainstream of civilization has been democracy. Only democratic nations can truly "endure for a thousand generations," truly "live for ten thousand years and ten thousand more," and truly "live forever."
Second is the concept of progress. The book will tell you that history has astonishing repetitions, and history is not a simple cycle. Like a child, human civilization is constantly growing, from childhood to youth, from youth to adulthood. History repeats itself, but we must not forget history. History is not a cycle, so we must not yearn to return to the past.
Third is the concept of fairness. Absolute fairness will never exist at any time, but the book will tell you that the pursuit of fairness is something human civilization has never abandoned. Fairness is not the "equal distribution of wealth" that the Chinese advocate. Without wealth disparities, there would be no motivation for social love. Fairness emphasizes equal opportunities, a form of equal chances: without equal chances, there would be no motivation for social development.
Fourth is the concept of equality. Civilizations have no hierarchy or superiority. Christian civilization is not superior to Persian civilization, and Chinese civilization is not inferior to Greek civilization. The book will tell you that civilizations have adaptability to their times—they may adapt to one era but not another, but there is no hierarchy between civilizations. Reading the stories of one civilization after another, you will realize that every civilization has its strengths and weaknesses, its merits and flaws, its good and bad, its right and wrong. Pure evil or pure good does not exist.
Fifth is the concept of love. The book will tell you that human civilization is worth cherishing, and Chinese civilization is worth cherishing. The people of the past seem to still be alive, and past events seem to be right before us. Loving them allows us to understand history with empathy; loving them allows us to cherish the successes, failures, gains, and losses of human civilization with heartfelt sincerity.
There are many other concepts. These concepts may not be new, and perhaps they have been repeated countless times. But turning them into "real driving forces for social development," especially for the Chinese people, still has a long way to go. The key is not whether we know these concepts but whether we act, whether we inject these concepts into society, turning them into reality, into systems, into tangible objects.
The publication of The Story of Civilization is an attempt to open a path for the "popularization of social sciences." It may not be the best, but it is striving to be the best. Sima Qian wrote of Confucius's greatness, saying, "Though I may not reach his level, my heart yearns for it." The Story of Civilization is the same—it aims to become the best "popularization of social sciences," "though I may not reach its level, my heart yearns for it."