French President Macron recently delivered an internal speech at the French Foreign Economics Annual Conference, arguing that Western hegemony may have ended.Since modern times, the French enlightenment movement, the British industrial revolution, and the United States, which rose in the two world wars, has made the Western world great for 300 years.However, today, due to various internal and external factors in the West, the world's political order established by it is shaking.At the same time, non -Western political powers, especially China, Russia, and India, have risen, and the political imagination of these countries has surpassed today's West; after having strong economic strength, they no longer superstitize the West and find their philosophy and culture.
Macron's words are indeed realistic thinking about world order.However, he excessively exaggerated the political imagination of other political powers.The rise of these other big powers is self -evident, but it is difficult to say that these political powers have the political imagination of the French Enlightenment.The reality is that when the West is facing a huge dilemma, these other political powers (especially intellectuals) still have no confidence in their philosophy and culture, and still use Western culture as the banner.The west.As a result, these political powers are facing the dilemma of different knowledge and action, that is, the rise of these countries is based on their own philosophy and culture, but the political imagination of their people is still the West.There is no doubt that these political powers are facing one of the largest political challenges.
Take Hong Kong as an example
No other countries are discussed here. I just want to discuss China from the recent Hong Kong issues. Try to answer why China is difficult to produce Macron's political imagination, and it is difficult for the intellectual community to produce French ideological enlightenment campaigns.
If you look at the Hong Kong issue from the perspective of integration of knowledge and action, it is not difficult to understand.Once a problem is known, there will be a problem.If you ask the protesters in Hong Kong, or even violent actors, most of them will answer: they are fighting for their own ideas or ideals.Although most people condemn violent acts, the violent people themselves do not have to think so.At the psychological level, radicals are mostly the result of the morality of ideas+concepts = the logic of justice.
The question is how this kind of knowledge is formed?There are many sources of knowledge, but education experience from small to large is undoubtedly the most important.Why are most protesters in Hong Kong growing up after the return of 1997?This is a big problem that needs to be deeply considered.Hong Kong was originally a colonial, and it was not surprising that thoughts were colonized.Surprisingly, education after the return of 1997 was more colonial, and it changed from passive colonial education to active colonial education.In the past, education was applied by the Hong Kong and British governments, and the education after the return was spontaneous in Hong Kong and had obvious purpose, which was to resist China's influence and cultivation and strengthen the recognition of Western (non -Hong Kong).
Similarly, the main reason why the problem is not resolved is because the knowledge and the knowledge of the knowledge and the governors have far.If the two are consistent, the governors will easily accept the requirements of the protesters.Is the protesters asking for democracy and the ruling to oppose democracy?Obviously not.What the protesters are required are one -step democracy (or western -style democracy), and the governors believe that such radical democracy or democratic methods are not appropriate.Compared with the protests, more internal and external constraints faced by the governors, more actual problems needed.
The expectations for Chinese intellectuals
The problems facing Hong Kong today are largely a dilemma faced by Chinese intellectuals in the process of national democracy and political development in modern times. What kind of democracy does the country need?This dilemma experienced in the Republic of China, experienced in the process of democratization in Taiwan, and today's Hong Kong experience, and tomorrow's mainland China will also experience.
Young people have become so aggressive, and educators have a lot of responsibilities.The educator has a problem, and the students' knowledge must have problems.
Professor Xu Yiyun, a historian, recently discussed the role of traditional Chinese intellectuals through the four sentences of Zhang Zai in the Northern Song Dynasty.These four sentences are widely circulated for the heavens and the earth, to establish their lives for the people, to learn the sanctification, and to open up the peace for the saints.He believes that these four sentences can be said to be the expectations of Chinese intellectuals, and it is also the four directions or dimensions that Chinese intellectuals should have.
The self -reliance of the world is to explain the natural phenomenon and the meaning of the universe. It belongs to the dimension of ideas. This type of intellectual is a philosopher in concept.
For those who are born to the people, they belong to the dimension of practice. This type of intellectual is the executor of practical practice, maybe officials, or social leaders.
In order to go to the sanctuary, it is also a dimension of practice. It is possible to expand and inherit what they have learned. I hope that later people can learn better than themselves.
To open the peace for the world, it is the dimension of ideas. This type of intellectuals can propose an ideal state mdash; mdash; ideal society, ideal life or ideal attitude towards life. I hope everyone will go in that direction and use these ideals to need, Criticize and correct the unreasonable places in front of you.
Generally speaking, intellectuals are criticized and ideal for reality. I believe that reality should change (whether through reform or revolution) to meet their ideals.There is no big objection to this.The question is: What ideals should intellectuals have?Where does the ideal come from?Is it utine or focusing on the realistic national conditions?
Fully westernization can lead to water and water dissatisfaction
Professor Xu believes that since the May 4th Movement, Chinese intellectuals and traditional intellectuals (scholars) have been very different.After May 4th, it is advocated that the overall westernized intellectuals occupy the mainstream, and they are getting left and left. Basically, they must bring a full -scale system in the West.The Westernist figures are actually Intelligentsia, not Intellectuals.According to Professor Xu's explanation, the so -called Intellectuals refers to those intellectuals of those in the society and the system, or to hang ideals, or be good teachers and good officials;They intend to bring another culture from the entire culture, transplanted from that flower pot to this flower pot, from that soil to this soil.
In Western history, Intelligentsia originally pointed out that the Pioneer of France was studying in Eastern Europe. For example, a group of people in Poland had to study France. After the Russian Peter Emperor, there were a large number of Intelligentsia appearing, advocating a comprehensive westernization.These Intelligentsia, the original heart is noble, hoping that the country's reform is in place.However, what they usually face is that foreign affairs are not suitable for local soil. If they are not scratching their footsteps, or they will change the soil, they will not change plants.What is the result?Change the plant is orange to move Huai Huai as a coriander; change the soil is to completely change the soil.
In any case, there have been many similar practices in China in modern times, but they have failed.Of course, it is not just China that fails, but many countries who have experienced similar political experiments have also failed.
In Asia, only Japan is successful.After the Meiji of Japan, there are also a large number of Intelligentsia advocating for the whole westernization.I just have a dress outside.Indeed, if you do n’t talk about those tools and go deep into the core system of Japan, it is not difficult to find that no Japanese system is imported, and it is formed based on the practice of Japan itself.Because of the defeat, some systems in Japan have been imposed by external forces, but the Japanese have been resisting.To this day, the Japanese are still trying to overthrow the constitution drafted by the United States for it.
Example to return to China.Since modern times, it is not only difficult to succeed in China, but also often caused a lot of disaster.However, the Westernization School basically does not have the ability to reflect, because they often believe in the western secular value they receive as a religious thing; and they simply push responsibilities to governors or people.This has caused a profound contradiction between the governors and the intellectual group.
Fracture of knowledge and bureaucracy
In Chinese tradition, because the class of scholars is both intellectual and government bureaucrat, there is no major contradiction between intellectuals and the government.The emperor not only gave the governance (that is, the power) to the intellectuals, but also left the intellectual field to intellectuals.Knowledge participation in politics is a consensus of intellectuals.
This has not changed in the late Qing Dynasty.From the middle school of Zhang Zhidong (1837-1909), and Western Studies, Kang Youwei (1858-1927) was used to restructuring.the way.
The abolition of the imperial examination in the late Qing Dynasty constituted a fatal blow to the intellectual class, because it was separated from the intellectuals and the government, and there was no bridge to connect the two.
Since the late Qing Dynasty, intellectuals will be at the forefront of reforms or revolution or social movements.This is not difficult to understand. Although the imperial examination is abolished, the intellectual knowledge and political psychology are already a historical and cultural precipitation. It will not disappear easily. Once there is an opportunity, it will still be desperately participating in politics.
However, it is precisely because of the break between knowledge and bureaucracy that the knowledge of knowledge since the late Qing Dynasty has a significant characteristic, that is, knowledge participation in politics has completely lost the traditional sense of reality, and it is manifested as utopian imagination and here.Audi.Because intellectuals are no longer bureaucratic bureaucrats, they do not need to consider the reality and operability of a value, nor the opportunity to participate in political reality to understand reality.
This situation has further caused profound contradictions between officials and intellectuals.Traditionally, these two are one, because intellectuals are bureaucrats, and all their studies are official studies.
But in modern times, officials and intellectuals have been separated.Political figures began to grab the power of official learning.Starting from Sun Yat -sen's Three -civilianism, to all major political figures of Chiang Kai -shek, Mao Zedong to all the later major politicians, they have systematic political discussions.Regardless of the era of revolution or construction, politicians are always in the front line and are the first practitioners.They understand the practice earlier and deeper earlier than other groups. What values are feasible, and which values are not feasible. It integrates practice into their theoretical thinking.
Two choices of scholars
It is also important that these systematic discussions are not the personal thinking of a certain politician, but reflect the thinking of a whole generation of politicians represented by the political figure.As Deng Xiaoping emphasized, Mao Zedong's thought represents the thoughts of Mao Zedong's generation of Communists, not just Mao Zedong's personal thought.In other words, that generation has a consensus on the official studies of themselves.
The disadvantage of intellectuals in the process of intellectual creation is obvious, which has also contributed to the contradiction between government and intellectuals.Agree with officials and scholars, they look down on intellectuals and believe that they are out of reality and can only talk about it; and intellectuals also look down on official learning, thinking that they are too realistic, no ideal, or even for personal interests.Today, this contradiction is getting worse.Basically, both today's politicians and scholars are intellectuals, but those who are politicians are intellectuals with practical opportunities, and scholars are intellectuals without practical opportunities.
In this case, what are the choices of scholars who do not have the opportunity to practice?People can first leave those who are just auxiliary and scholars.There are two most common choices among scholars, one is experts and scholars, and one is criticized intellectuals.But unfortunately, the actual effects of these two types are all westernized.
Scholars of experts on the surface focus on explaining things, published articles based on eight western shares.In this regard, the number of articles published by Chinese scholars today is increasing, and China has become a big country.The problem is that there are many articles, but there are no original ideas.
The core is that most of the propositions studied by such scholars are western, but only Chinese materials are used to demonstrate the proposition of the West.Many people have never wanted to find the propositions of China itself and use Chinese materials to study Chinese propositions.
In addition, the core of the harsh assessment system of the relevant university is the publishing and ranking of thesis, which also forced scholars to become the slavery of Western tools.In fact, this seemingly academic approach is the most effective means to spread Western ideas.The reason is simple.First, the proposition decision conclusion, using Western propositions to study China can only prove the correctness of the West. Second, because the Western proposition occupies the dominant position, the Chinese proposition must be established, or no one can find it at all.Under the current assessment system, such scholars have occupied the dominant position of universities and research institutions.
The second category is the criticism of intellectuals, including today's public intellectuals.There are more and more intellectuals, and the trend of Westernization is getting worse.Although the early modern intellectuals advocated Westernization, they were profoundly affected by Chinese traditions.The current situation is completely different. The tradition completely disappears. Some people hate their traditions on the one hand, and on the other hand, they don't want to understand what the real situation in the West is.For this group, the academic significance of the West is not important, because they only need Western tool meaning, that is, to criticize and evaluate China's real politics with the West.
This is also the most uncertain place.Although people have called for cultural self -confidence in recent years, they have accelerated Westernization at the practical level.If China's own political imagination cannot be established, there will be no social sciences that can explain their own practice, and it is difficult to avoid different situations.
(The author is a professor at the National University of Singapore and East Asia)
The article only represents personal point of view
