(Essential questions) He Zhonghua: Why is the "meeting" of Marx and Confucius a historical necessity?

  China News Service, Beijing, September 28th, title: Why is the "meeting" of Marx and Confucius a historical necessity?

  ——Interview with He Zhonghua, a professor at the School of Philosophy and Social Development of Shandong University

  China News Agency reporter An Yingzhao

  In the 1920s, Mr. Guo Moruo used dramatic language to discuss the "meeting" of Marx and Confucius in his article "Marx's Entry into the Confucian Temple".

In 2021, the new book "Marx and Confucius: A Historical Encounter" by He Zhonghua, a professor at the School of Philosophy and Social Development of Shandong University, aroused heated discussions at home and abroad.

  "The'meeting' between Marx and Confucius in China is not accidental, but has its historical inevitability." He Zhonghua pointed out in a recent exclusive interview with China News Agency "Ask for East and West" that from the long-term perspective of human history, any civilization The development and progress of China are inseparable from the exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations.

The historic "encounter" between Marx and Confucius is a good example.

Data map: Marx statue presented by China.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Peng Dawei

The summary of the interview record is as follows:

China News Service: In the 1920s, Mr. Guo Moruo published "Marx's Entry into the Confucian Temple".

Looking back over the past century, do you think that Marx and Confucius met in China by accident or inevitable?

He Zhonghua: The

"meeting" of Marx and Confucius in China is not accidental, it has its historical inevitability.

According to Marx's historical materialism, with the "transition of history to world history", that is, the advent of the era of globalization, the contradictions between labor and capital in capitalist countries have gradually externalized into contradictions between Western and non-Western countries.

The "Communist Manifesto" stated that the opening of the world market resulted in "the East is subordinate to the West" and determined that the center of gravity of the revolution shifted from Western Europe to the East.

In this context, Marxism was chosen by China at the right time.

As he said: "The degree to which a theory can be implemented in a country depends on the degree to which it can meet the needs of the country."

  The arrival of Marxism in China is a substantive intervention, that is, it has become what Marx called "a clear proof of practical ability."

This kind of in-depth intervention cannot avoid "face-to-face" with Confucianism, which is the backbone and gene of traditional Chinese culture.

Because the Chinese accept Marxism, its background is shaped by Chinese cultural traditions.

Mr. Guo Moruo put Marx and Confucius as symbols of two ideological systems for discussion as early as a century ago, which can be said to be quite forward-looking.

Data map: The manuscript when Marx created the "Communist Manifesto."

(Photo taken on May 6) Photo by China News Agency reporter Peng Dawei

Reporter from China News Service: In your new book "Marx and Confucius: A Historical Encounter", you pointed out that although Marxism and Confucianism are more conflicting at the conscious level, they are more as fusion at the unconscious level. .

How to understand this conflict and communication?

He Zhonghua:

Generally speaking, Marxism and Confucianism have a dialectical relationship of unity of opposites.

Ignoring any of these aspects is a violation of dialectics.

  Marxism and Confucianism have both an epochal distance and national differences: the critical period for Marxism to spread in China was the period of the May Fourth New Culture Movement, and the modern culture represented by Confucianism was quite distinct from the traditional cultural era represented by Confucianism; Marxism From the West, Confucianism originated from China, far away.

  But these appearances do not fully reflect the essence.

From the perspective of the times, Marxism, as a critic of modernity, has a tendency to return to the starting point at a higher level, while Confucianism, as a pre-modern thought, meets Marxism logically.

In terms of nationality, Western ideological traditions are also divided. For example, the European tradition and the British and American traditions are quite different, and there is a tension between the humanistic spirit and the scientific spirit between them.

Traditional Chinese culture that emphasizes humanistic values ​​is easier to identify with European thoughts.

Marxism originated in Germany and has affinity with traditional Chinese culture.

  "Communication" has actually taken place since Marxism was introduced into China.

First, China describes Marxism in Chinese.

Heidegger said: "Language is the home of existence." The language of a nation condenses its history and culture.

Letting Marxism "speak Chinese" is itself "sinicized", so that it contains the genes of traditional Chinese culture.

Secondly, the Chinese interpret Marxism with their own unique hermeneutical background, and use it to guide revolution, construction, and reform practice. This is a practical level of communication.

Furthermore, it is at the level of reflection, which is what Mao Zedong called "thinking about the reality of the Chinese revolution in theory", forming Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of "Three Represents", the scientific development concept, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era These are the results of the internal integration of the basic principles of Marxism with the excellent traditional Chinese culture.

China News Agency reporter: In your new book, you pointed out that Marxism and the Confucian Society have historical conditions and opportunities.

From the perspective of the roots of civilization, what is the deep-seated reason why the two can be integrated in the land of China?

He Zhonghua:

Marxism and Confucianism have the same structure in cultural archetypes.

Let me

illustrate with two examples.

  One is to attach importance to practice.

Marx named his "new philosophy" after "practical materialism", which means "materialism that regards percept as a person's practical activities."

He wrote in "The Outline of Feuerbach": "Philosophers just interpret the world in different ways, and the problem is to change the world." This is the most profound and typical manifestation of the practical character of Marxist philosophy. It is different and superior to all old philosophies.

Confucianism also attaches great importance to "practice".

Confucius said that to see a person, we must "listen to what he says and watch what he does."

Compared with words and deeds, Confucius values ​​"deeds" more.

The first article of "The Analects of Confucius" says that "learning and learning from time to time".

"Learning" and "exercising" are different. The former focuses on knowledge and the latter focuses on practice.

This kind of character is embodied in the Confucian goal of "the unity of knowing and doing", which is derived into the Confucian orientation for practical use.

In the emphasis on practice, it is not difficult to find the consistency between Marxism and Confucianism.

  The second is "a sense of history."

Hegel advocated the unity of logic and history, and used history as a "tool" to prove logic.

Marx critically inherited this principle and advocated the unity of logic in history.

The thinking method of Marx's philosophy is to put the problem in a specific historical context, rather than looking at it beyond history and abstraction.

Confucianism also pays attention to "historical consciousness", which is related to the inheritance and continuity of Chinese culture.

In the context of Chinese culture, the only constant is change itself.

The so-called "life is change", only change is not easy.

Han Confucian Dong Zhongshu said that "the sky does not change, and the Tao does not change" seems to deny change, but in fact, it says that the change does not change.

This hard-won and unchanging way can only be revealed through the ever-changing history.

Therefore, the Qing Confucian scholarship sincerely said that "the six classics are all history".

Confucius said, "You can learn from the past and learn the new, and you can learn from it", which has the genetic meaning of "history" and "jing".

Reporter from China News Service: What is the enlightenment of Marx and Confucius' "encounter" beyond time and space for the exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations in the world today?

He Zhonghua:

The development and progress of civilizations are inseparable from exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations.

The historic "encounter" between Marx and Confucius is a good example.

  Chinese traditional culture represented by Confucianism enabled Marxism to be "indigenized" in China, and Marxism also modernized Chinese traditional culture.

The successful "mutualization" of the two and mutual achievement is a "win-win" of civilization and mutual learning.

  Mao Zedong once put forward "living Marxism", that is, living Marxism integrated with China's national conditions, China's specific reality, and Chinese traditional culture.

Because it adopts the "national form" and has "Chinese style and Chinese style", it is loved by the Chinese people; because it is integrated into Chinese culture from the academic level, it can become a spiritual weapon for the Chinese people, and can become a material force through practice.

This is an important reason why Marxism can take root, germinate, blossom and bear fruit in Chinese soil.

  Chinese traditional culture has been baptized by Marxism and has also realized self-renewal, self-sublation, and self-transcendence.

As the essence of the spirit of the times, Marxist philosophy provides China with the standard of "abandoning the dross and taking the essence" of traditional culture.

Marxism can "activate" the excellent factors of Chinese traditional culture, so that it can gain vitality and play an active role in the new historical context.

  The mutual learning between civilizations has never been one-dimensional, but two-way interaction.

In the era of globalization, no nation, country, or region can be isolated from human civilization.

Civilized exchanges and dialogues have become an irreversible trend.

Only in an equal dialogue can different civilizations learn from each other and achieve common development.

Data map: Confucius sculpture on the campus of an elementary school.

Photo by Wang Dongming

China News Agency reporter: What role did Marx and Confucius play in the rejuvenation of Chinese civilization?

What are the implications of China's practical exploration for the modernization and transformation of other ancient civilizations?

He Zhonghua:

Both Marx and Confucius played an important role in the process of realizing the great rejuvenation of Chinese civilization and played an irreplaceable role.

  The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is inseparable from modernization.

In the process of modernization, one must maintain the subjectivity, that is, answer the question "Whose modernization? And for whom?" This question, otherwise you may lose yourself.

This is a profound lesson learned by many developing countries in the modernization process.

The hurricane of modernization makes it easy to forget "Who am I? Where do I come from? Where do I go?" The answer needs to be found in one's own cultural traditions.

Traditional culture is existence itself, which constitutes our flesh and blood and life.

The traditional Chinese culture represented by Confucianism is the foundation that determines the Chinese as Chinese.

  In addition, the concept of "Heaven and Man are one" in Chinese traditional culture has enlightening value for the contemporary ecological environment crisis.

The emergence of "global problems", in a sense, declared the failure of the development model of industrial civilization, and the world is facing the urgent task of civilization transformation.

Industrial civilization is oriented towards human beings, and to get rid of this predicament, we need to absorb the wisdom of "the unity of man and nature".

Today's ecological civilization construction is based on this basic concept.

The enlightenment of Chinese traditional culture cannot be underestimated.

  Marxism believes that the relationship between man and nature and the relationship between man and man are intermediaries.

The hostile contradiction between man and nature must be found from the social system level; the improvement and optimization of the relationship between man and man also need to start with the improvement of the relationship between man and nature.

For example, the market economy can allocate resources most effectively, but it cannot solve the problem of "externality".

If the arbitrariness of market logic cannot be avoided and overcome, there will be no way to ease the tension between man and nature.

I think that both the traditional Chinese culture represented by Confucianism and the contemporary thought represented by Marxism can contribute wisdom for us to solve this problem concerning the future.

(over)

About the interviewee:

  He Zhonghua (1962- ), a native of Junan, Shandong, is currently a professor at the School of Philosophy and Social Development of Shandong University.

The main research fields are Marxist philosophy and social development theory.

Published more than 300 papers in journals such as "Philosophy Research", "Philosophy Trends", "Literature, History and Philosophy", and published "Philosophy: Towards the Realm of Noumenon Clarity", "Rereading Marx: A Contemporary Interpretation of a Philosophical View", "Thinking about History: Marx's Philosophy" New Interpretation, "Criticism of Social Development and Modernity", "Marx and Confucius: A Historical Meeting" and other works.

Some papers have been transferred (translated) by journals such as "Chinese Social Sciences" (English version), "Xinhua Digest", "Chinese Social Science Digest", Renmin University of China photocopy of newspapers and periodicals, "University Liberal Arts Academic Digest" and other publications. Great response.