Redraw the philosophical map of the world with a cross-cultural perspective

In his speech at the 18th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO member states, President Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must establish a civilization concept of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness, transcend civilizational estrangement with civilization exchanges, transcend civilizational conflicts with civilizational mutual learning, and transcend civilization superiority with civilization coexistence." As the trend of economic and cultural globalization continues to strengthen, and the struggle against colonialism around the world continues to deepen, "world philosophy" as a topic of philosophical research has become increasingly prominent. Contemporary philosophy no longer means merely "Western philosophy" for most of the time, but a philosophical map of the world with a pluralistic picture. Today we generally recognize the expansion of the connotation of "philosophy", which, in addition to the ancient Greek-European philosophy, has its own unique philosophical typology in Asia, Africa and Latin America. In this context, redrawing the philosophical map of the world from a cross-cultural perspective has become an important task for contemporary philosophical research.

From comparative philosophy to cross-cultural philosophy

How to place pluralistic philosophical traditions? There are different attempts in today's philosophical discourse, such as "Comparative Philosophy" on the theme of comparison between different cultures, which has been a hot topic in chinese studies since the 1980s. Although "comparative philosophy" has overcome to a certain extent the central tendency of specific cultural traditions and their philosophies, its limitation is mainly that it also stays in the study of differences between different philosophies and cultural traditions, emphasizes the local differences between two heterogeneous cultures, and uses this as a basis to eventually lead to a cultural particularism. The framework of "comparative philosophy" in the Chinese context often solidifies and reinforces the differences between the two sides being compared through presuppositions, East and West, Asia and Europe, either one or the other, and all philosophical topics are studied within a binary comparative framework. This preconceived preconceived framework and labeled understanding, bound by dualistic frameworks based on cultural differences and cultural localism, can lead to misleading research into specific problems. As a result, in recent years, a group of researchers, represented by Franz Martin Wimmer, Heinz Kimmerle, and R.A. Mall, have begun to consciously replace "comparative philosophy" with a broader vision of "Intercultural Philosophy."

Cross-cultural philosophy emphasizes that philosophy, the universal cause of mankind, is not a unified idea of an objective form, but a framework of possibilities for the universal interaction of many cultural worlds and ways of thinking. Therefore, it advocates the presentation of different philosophical traditions without preconditions and the development of intercultural dialogue. What is important is not the argument and defense of a specific point of view, but the development of a dialogue that contains many positions as a whole, through which all participants gather together through this road in an open and inclusive manner, allowing their own positions and the positions of others to change, with the goal of shelving confrontation and finding overlapping positions, so that participants can recognize the relativity of various views, including themselves, through dialogue, obtain the understanding and tolerance of dialogue participants, and build a harmonious dialogue community. In this sense, cross-cultural philosophy provides us with a platform for dialogue with others, for understanding strange experiences, for reaching temporary consensus, while explicitly rejecting any attempt to generalize a particular position into absolute truth and absolute knowledge. This is an attempt to find a relatively stable set of universal philosophical discourses in the era of globalization and under different cultural traditions, not only to maintain the differences between the parties involved in the dialogue, but also to ensure the equality of the forms of dialogue for all participants.

Cross-cultural philosophy offers a theoretical vision and methodological posture of "facing things themselves", while at the same time working to form a special tradition of self-understanding within the framework of an open world. The self-positioning of all cultural traditions and special horizons, including the Chinese-speaking world, is gradually formed in the form of historical occurrence relative to the plural other, and it is in the process of continuous interweaving and integration that self-knowledge and positioning are formed. The philosophical traditions of the Chinese-speaking world are to face Africa, the East Asian world, the Islamic region of the Near East, and the whole of the world's philosophical map composed of South Asia and Latin America, in which each civilization tradition is our frame of reference and interlocutor, and all have the possibility of interaction and mutual learning with Chinese culture. Therefore, today's redrawing of the map of world philosophy from the perspective of cross-cultural philosophy is also an urgent task that Chinese philosophy and Chinese cultural traditions must undertake.

A Map of World Philosophy in the Age of Globalization: A Case Study of African Philosophy

The map of world philosophy in the era of globalization should be a further extension of the framework of the "history of world philosophy" conceived by Jaspers, encompassing the major civilizations of the Axial Age within the global horizon, implying an infinitely open framework of communication, in which philosophies in all specific cultural traditions are accommodated in this open framework with a view to achieving mutual dialogue and understanding. Philosophy is essentially a never-ending cause of communication and dialogue, and the language and texts she relies on are always perpetuated in cross-cultural exchange. For example, the ancient Greek philosophy we see today was transmitted to the present day after being relayed by Arab culture, not purely European. At the same time, intercultural philosophy does not lead to the overcoming and elimination of cultural differences, but only involves the success of cross-cultural exchanges, that is, the dialogue between unfamiliar cultures as confrontations and the ability to understand unfamiliar cultures.

In addition to establishing new theoretical horizons and methodological postures, it is also necessary to expand the horizons of academic research and conduct a large number of translations and in-depth studies of the philosophies of different civilizations. For example, for a long time, the study of African philosophy, especially "black African" philosophy, has been rarely involved in the Chinese philosophical community. "Black Africa" refers to sub-Saharan Africa, where the philosophical and cultural traditions of Black Africa are far from being widely known compared to northern Africa, which has ancient Egyptian history and Islamic traditions. However, the philosophy of Black Africa is also an organic part of the map of world philosophy, and the study of it should not stay at the level of isolated regional culture and anthropological research, but should examine the connotation and significance of African philosophy in the context of the history of world thought, taking the interactive dialogue between African philosophy and world philosophy and multi-dimensional comparative research as clues. The study of African philosophy has rich constructive significance for the philosophical picture of the world, including Chinese philosophy. For example, the controversy over the legitimacy of African philosophy can guide and inspire the "periphery" of world philosophy, including China, in a certain sense, and also challenge the philosophical categories of the Western tradition; the practice of African community life provides a new perspective of thinking for the mainstream political concepts and practices in the West and contemporary times; the unique ways of African philosophy, such as oral philosophy, have stimulated our reflection on the concept of philosophy itself.

Specifically, African philosophy has a certain degree of similarity to the unfolding of Chinese philosophy. For example, Africa and China face the same challenges when it comes to the legitimacy of indigenous philosophy, and the long-contested question of whether There is a philosophy in Africa is familiar in the Chinese context. In 1945, the Belgian missionary Placide Tempels completed the book Bantu Philosophy by studying the language, myths and customs of the Luba people in the then northeastern Part of the Belgian Congo, and for the first time proposed the concept of "African philosophy", which answered the above questions in the affirmative. Temple used the special symbols of Bantu to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth study of the Language of the Luba people, viewing its proverbs, myths and legends, and tribal customs as the source of African philosophy, and borrowing the categories of Western philosophy to construct specific African tribal philosophies. Tempur's most famous proposition is the African ontological thought, which is an interpretation of the concept of "force" that appears as a generalization in The Luba language as a conclusion, arguing that "existence" in Africa is not a static existence or essence in the Western sense, but a dynamic event process in which multiple forces converge. The concept of "tribal philosophy" and its research methods proposed in The Philosophy of Bantu were once widely accepted, that is, through the study and interpretation of the language, myths, proverbs, customs, etc. of specific African tribes, and the categories of Western philosophy were applied to extract the unique philosophical content of Africa. Similar practices have been further implemented and popularized in the likes of Alexis Kagame, John S. Mbiti, and Odera Oruka, who have adopted a broader sample of studies than Temple, analyzing and interpreting the languages of the Jikuyu and Luo ethnic groups, such as Mbiti and Oguka, which have proposed a unique African understanding of time. But the affirmative answer to the question of whether Africa has a philosophy in this dimension sparked much controversy in the context of the subsequent anti-colonial movement in Africa. In addition to The practical motivation for missionaryism and the tendency of Eurocentrism to be created by Temple's own missionary status, the Beninese philosopher Paulin J. Hountondji criticized "tribal philosophy" as not philosophy, since ideas distilled from tribal languages and customs could not be generalized and could not be seen as valid for Africa as a whole. Hong Dongji believes that only when contemporary African scholars discuss philosophy, can a real "African philosophy" emerge.

Although the riveted study of Africa's partial life experience and Western philosophical categories faces legitimacy challenges at the theoretical level, at the practical level, certain African ideas and ways of organizing life do offer the possibility of being different from mainstream Western ideas. For example, many African philosophers, including Julius Nyerere, attach great importance to the democratic form of decision-making in traditional African societies, which is distinctly different from democracy in the modern Western sense. In modern Western democracy, at its core is the principle of the majority, and the minority must obey the will of the majority. In Africa's democracies, the principle of broad consensus is seen as central. Guided by this principle, everyone must state his views in lengthy discussions and consult with others until a consensus is reached, which is the form of consultative dialogue known in the African Community as Mbongi. Ernest Wamba dia Wamba sees this form of dialogue as the opposite of parliamentary debate in Western democracies. All members of the community participate, not indiscriminately, but all equally. This form of consultation in African democracy rejects the reduction of politics to a mere number of votes, thus overcoming the shortcomings of vote democracy that ignore the rights of minorities with different views. Not only the "elite" must participate in political decision-making, but also the masses of the people must participate in negotiations and jointly define the political process. In addition to Africa's unique forms of democracy, the traditional African community construction based on family communities, the concept of "blackness", and the African unity movement have also provided new perspectives for the concept of community and community autonomism.

When African philosophy enters the world's philosophical map, it also means the expansion of the concept of "philosophy", not only geographically, but also in form and content. For example, based on the research method of tribal philosophy, we see that a considerable part of the study of African philosophy is based on tribal proverbs and myths and legends, which are mostly not transmitted from generation to generation in writing but in oral terms. This philosophical approach is quite different from the text-based approach of traditional Western and Eastern philosophies, and it also raises a tense question about "philosophy" itself: does philosophy have to be text-based, and can it be transmitted orally? It can be said that African philosophy offers a new form of philosophy that is different from the Western tradition. In this dimension, people like Oluka, Gerald J. Wanjohi, and Maurice Tschiamalenga Ntumba focus on ancient proverbs and the aphorisms of some tribal wise men, thus outlining the African tradition of "philosophy of the wise." The "philosophy of the wise" is dominated by oral narratives, which are characterized by a great departure from the text-based philosophies of the Western and Eastern traditions, breaking the usual philosophical patterns. On the one hand, oral forms do not have the possibility of conceptualizing and systematizing ideas, and the wisdom of life has not further evolved into a complex conceptual system; on the other hand, philosophies that communicate and pass on in oral form rely on the intimate life connections between generations, reflecting the overall practical characteristics that are closely related to tribal life, highlighting the situationality of thought and understanding, and reflecting its unique advantages. Based on this reality, we have to admit that the characteristics of writing are no longer necessary elements of philosophical activity, and as Derrida points out, oral and writing are equal and equally primitive, and the connotation of "philosophy" is enriched and expanded through "oral philosophy".

The study of the philosophy of the wise, tribal, and oral philosophy, in turn, has led to critical thinking about traditional philosophical categories, such as the relationship between tribal philosophy and philosophical universality based on local traditions, the relationship between text-based philosophy and oral philosophy, and thus a new understanding of "philosophy" on a world scale. In addition, the study of African philosophy also includes the investigation of African thought with the characteristics of the times from the perspective of cross-cultural philosophy, such as the relationship between African philosophical traditions and Christianity, the African political philosophy that has been deeply influenced by Marxism in the struggle against colonial rule and national independence in African countries, the deep relationship between African colonial history and contemporary political philosophy, the relationship between philosophy and traditional African languages, and the philosophical reflections of African American philosophers on the issue of skin color and race. The attention paid to these philosophical issues has greatly enriched the connotations of traditional Chinese and Western philosophy, helping to show the whole picture of the world's philosophical map.

World philosophy and its universality in the age of globalization

Redrawing the map of world philosophy from a cross-cultural perspective means a comprehensive renewal of the traditional understanding of philosophy and its universality. As we deepen our understanding of all the "marginal" philosophical traditions outside of China and the West, we will increasingly find that the universality of philosophy is not exclusive to a unique philosophical tradition, thus becoming a footnote to a certain centrism, and thus marginalizing other philosophical and intellectual traditions in the world. Rather, the "universality" implicit in today's philosophy of the pluralistic world implies a contentless framework feature that transcends specific times and regions, and is a universal event of dialogue and interaction as a whole, rather than a supra-historical unified concept with objective form. As the Cuban philosopher Raúl Fornet-Betancourt has pointed out, philosophical universality emerges as a guiding plan that must ultimately be formulated by "a variety of realities, not the other way around."

If "superficial globalization" is to regard globalization as a one-way process of leveling the differences between different cultures, that is, through global calibration based on its own traditions, with the help of science and technology, economy, transportation, popular culture, etc., to shape a homogeneous world community and a homogeneous lifestyle in the world, then "deep globalization" refers to the deep cultural integration and confrontation that occurs in the process of globalization, and the superficial convergence of globalization has led to different value systems at a deeper level. The intermingling and interpenetration of forms of faith and the meaning of life. This unprecedented process of large-scale cultural integration also includes the encounter of philosophical positions of different cultural sources, and cross-cultural philosophies and dialogues unfold. Similar to the Axial Age, the concept is based on the tone of the "decline of the West" after World War I, and in the era of globalization we should have a broader understanding and reflection on world philosophy.

The map of world philosophy in the era of globalization is not a central-periphery framework of traditional knowledge and ideas, but a field of universal exchange of pluralistic philosophies without a center, a complex and balanced overall conceptual history of different ideas and philosophical traditions in themselves and between each other. Redrawing the world philosophical map is to open up a public space that accommodates different cultural traditions and pluralistic philosophies with a holistic vision, upholds the concept of cultural pluralism and community of human destiny, highlights the overall and partial connections between different philosophical traditions, and looks for overlapping consensus such as humanitarianism, tolerance, and pluralism and common values of all mankind. The concrete philosophical activity of being placed on the map of world philosophy does not lead to universal truths based on a specific tradition but claimed to be higher than other specific cultural traditions, but should be based on a full understanding of the many others in world philosophy, so as to grasp its own boundaries and limitations in the world, recognize the independent values of all philosophical traditions and the cultural creation of different human groups, and thus form a proper self-understanding and self-positioning. Today's world philosophy should embody a positive and open unity, rather than solidifying abstract exclusivity.

This has a double significance for the Chinese language community. On the one hand, the attention to the marginal areas in the study of traditional philosophy has filled in the huge gap in the Field of Chinese Studies, provided a large number of new ideological materials for the study of Chinese Philosophy, and realized the complete understanding of world philosophy in the Chinese academic community, which is an important step in the continuous expansion and improvement of the Chinese cultural vision in the process of globalization. On the other hand, the study of regional intellectual traditions in Africa, Latin America, and Asia not only expands the scope of regional studies, but also provides an opportunity to comprehensively understand the cultural other in order to achieve a more accurate understanding of oneself. Redrawing the philosophical map of the world will help human intellectual traditions, including the Chinese intellectual tradition, to face the globalization situation with a more open and inclusive mindset, and transform it into an important driving force for building a "community with a shared future for mankind".

(The author is a professor at the School of Philosophy, Zhejiang University)

Editor: Liu Xing