"文化原创期与中西之源发性差异的形成"
"The Axial Age and the 'Original Differences' between China and the West"

刘耘华 教授
人文与传播学院
上海师范大学
Professor Yunhua Liu
College of Humanities and Communication
Shanghai Normal University

Note: This lecture is presented in Chinese.

Abstract:
中西文化的根本差异首先表现在对于“天（宇宙世界）”之本质的认识及其表象系统截然不同。其次，西方基于对宇宙本质的思考进而建构的“原子式自我”，在中国找不到对应的表现，相反，正如有的学者所认识到的，中国建构的是“关系性自我”。再次，从根本上说，西方的“天”与人是彼此独立、相互对立的二元关系，人的主要任务是通过“灵智”掌握“天”的“本质”，从而获得真实的知识；而中国文化始终没有建立基于实体论之真理观和原子论之自我观的天人二元关系，主张万有皆“气”，气化流行，鸢飞鱼跃，将天人联结为息息相通的生命整体。

The fundamental difference between Chinese culture and Western culture first lies in their different conceptualizations and representations of the universe or tian 天. Next, based on their respective interpretations of the nature of the universe/tian, Western culture has developed the concept of a “nuclear-self” in which “person” is defined by its internal properties while Chinese culture has constructed a “relational-self” where “ren 人” is understood by its relationships to others. Further, in the Western culture the universe and person each is independent of the other and the relationship between the them is binary and antagonistic whereas in Chinese culture tian and ren are unified as one through qi 气.

Bio:
Professor Yunhua Liu (刘耘华教授) received his Ph. D. in comparative literature from Peking University. He is currently teaching at Shanghai Normal University where he is also serving as the Director of the Center for Comparative Literature and World Literature (Key Project of China’s Ministry of Education -- “国家重点学科－比较文学与世界文学研究中心”). Professor Liu's publications includes books such as 《诠释学与先秦儒家之意义生成》 and 《诠释的圆环：明末清初传教士对儒家经典的解释及其本土回应》. The Center for Comparative Literature and World Literature (CCLWL) at Shanghai Normal University has had a decade-long relationship of academic cooperation with our Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures (DEALL), ever since the establishment of CCLWL under their founding director, Professor Sun Jingyao (孙景尧教授).

Co-sponsored by:

Institute for Chinese Studies (ICS)
Department of East Asian Langauges and Literatures (DEALL)
National East Asian Languages Resource Center (NEALRC)