Feng Qi Collected Works (Volume 7): The Revolutionary Process of Modern Chinese Philosophy

Author: Feng Qi
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Features: This book is a sequel to The Logical Development of Ancient Chinese Philosophy and discusses the development of modern Chinese philosophy (1840-1949). This is essentially the third major circle in the history of Chinese philosophy, following the pre-Qin and the Han to Ming-Qing periods. Besides the preface, the book is divided into four chapters. Under the constraint of the debate over "ancient vs. modern, Chinese vs. Western," the modern Chinese philosophical revolution primarily revolved around four aspects: historical view, epistemology, logic and methodology, and the issues of human freedom and ideals. It was influenced by Western modern philosophy while also developing the traditional Chinese philosophical debates on "principle-matter (Dao-vessel)," "mind-matter (knowing-doing)," "name-reality," and "heaven-human." Among the many Western philosophical schools introduced to China, evolutionism and Marxist philosophy had the greatest impact. The introduction of the former marked the beginning of the modern Chinese philosophical revolution, forming the evolutionary stage; the acceptance of the latter marked the entry into the stage of materialist dialectics. In addition, two other Western philosophical trends had significant influence in China: positivism and irrationalism.
The debate over "principle-matter (Dao-vessel)" in the Song-Ming period primarily concerned the view of heaven, followed by the view of history. By the modern era, this debate evolved into primarily a historical view, followed by the view of heaven or general development. From Gong Zizhen, Wei Yuan to Zheng Guanying, they continued to use the category of "Dao-vessel" to express their views on historical change; this further developed into using evolutionism to explain historical evolution, and then into materialist history and general dialectical development.
The epistemology of modern Chinese philosophy remained centered on the debate over "mind-matter (knowing-doing)." Wei Yuan proposed a modern theory of knowing-doing, and both Zhang Taiyan and Sun Yat-sen included dialectical insights in their discussions on the relationship between knowing and doing. In this process, the debates over historical view and epistemology gradually merged into the debate over "mind-matter," becoming the main thread of modern Chinese philosophical development. It was ultimately summarized by Marxism's "active revolutionary reflection theory."
The debate over "name-reality" evolved into discussions on logic and methodology in the modern era; the debate over "heaven-human" primarily concerned the issues of human freedom and ideals. In both aspects, modern Chinese philosophy failed to provide a systematic summary. History has left the task of further developing the modern Chinese philosophical revolution.