Essentials of Culture Series · Culture and Philosophy

Author: Zhang Dainian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: "Heaven moves with vigor, the superior man strives ceaselessly; the earth is level and kind, the superior man carries things with benevolence." I believe this is the ideological foundation for the continuous development of the Chinese nation over five thousand years and the basic spirit of the Chinese nation. I oppose the theory of Eastern cultural superiority and the theory of wholesale Westernization, advocating the integration of the strengths of both Eastern and Western cultures to create a new Chinese culture. This advocacy can be called the "Comprehensive Innovation Theory."
The scope of culture is very broad, including philosophy, religion, science, technology, literature, art, education, and lifestyle, among others. Within this broad scope, philosophy plays a leading role. Philosophy can be said to be the guiding ideology of the overall culture or the ideological foundation for cultural development. —Zhang Dainian
This book is a collection of some papers and speeches by Mr. Zhang Dainian on the comparative issues of Eastern and Western cultures, which were publicly published in the mid-1980s. It primarily explores the characteristics and content of Eastern and Western cultures, the ideological foundation and basic spirit of Chinese culture, and the relationship between cultural traditions and modernization from the perspective of philosophical thought. It analyzes issues such as the body and use of culture, material interests, and moral thought, and proposes several new insights into the history of culture and philosophy. The discussions on cultural issues in the text fully demonstrate Mr. Zhang’s advocacy of the "Comprehensive Innovation Theory," which advocates the integration of the strengths of both Eastern and Western cultures to create a new Chinese culture.