On the Historical Significance of Chinese Approach
The historical consciousness of Christian religion embodies an eschatological structure that maintains eternal tension and distance between time and eternity.Modem consciousness transforms this structure into an internalist historical process.Thus,the linear mechanism of historical narration constitutes the core of Western historical understanding,which essentially transforms the eschatological completion of history into the ultimate perfection within the historical process.This gives rise to the idea of historical completion as the termination of history,as well as the pathological nihilism of history that cannot be resolved within history itself.The self-transformation of this historical consciousness lies in liberating history from the constraints of its beginning and end,and embracing an endless,open historical process constructed by continuity and discontinuity.Chinese thought confronts this open historical process and seeks to understand the meaning of history within history itself,without resorting to transcendent absolute universality.Specifically,Chinese thought constructs a concrete historical universality based on the integration of the natural order,human sentiments,and the principles of virtue.It transforms the Western narrative of historical progress centered on freedom into"benevolence unifying the world"and establishes a pluralistic coexistence order through the principles of"harmony in diversity"and"unity in diversity".At the same time,based on the Chinese intellectual tradition,the Chinese Approach can be developed that differs from the Greek"anthropological truth"and the Israelite"soteriological truth".The Chinese Approach,based on the principles of benevolence as a horizontal principle and centrality as a vertical principle,establishes the foundation of China's"spiritual world".
civilization theoryhistorical significancephilosophy of historyTianxia eratruth of survival
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