The World System (Introduction to the Philosophy of World Systems)

Author: Zhao Tingyang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Being responsible to the world, rather than just to one's own country, is a theoretical perspective from Chinese philosophy. In practice, it presents a brand-new possibility—taking "the world" as the primary analytical unit for political/economic interests, understanding the world from the perspective of "the world," and using "the world" as the unit of thought to analyze issues. It means transcending the Western national/state mindset and taking world responsibility as one's own duty, creating new world concepts and world systems. When China seeks to address global issues and take responsibility for the world, it cannot remain silent on the matter and must be able to offer thoughts on the world. China's worldview then becomes the most pressing issue. Having already taken the stage, China cannot afford to stay silent. This is the intellectual task and inevitable logic of China today. The world we currently refer to is still a "non-world." The most serious problem we face is not the existence of ineffective states within the world, but an ineffective world. Opposing oneself to others, believers to non-believers, the West to the East, andizing all things that are not inherently opposed—this is the fundamental political consciousness of the West. Such political consciousness lacks a sense of the world and, more importantly, cannot take responsibility for the world.