Wenming Tang

Editor’s AbstractTang Wenming is a professor of philosophy at Tsinghua University in Beijing, trained in both the European and Chinese traditions, and the author of a sophisticated critique of Mou Zongsan's philosophy. The central idea in this conversation is that contemporary Confucianism must find a way to recover its “edifying” (jiaohua) role in Chinese society. Philosophy is important, says Tang, but Confucianism cannot simply be an academic philosophy; it must have a broader social function, and some sort of institutional innovation is necessary in order to accomplish this.

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English. 承認涉及自我與他者之間的相互認可，因而可以將承認理論理解為一項關於人倫構成的哲學理論。本文首先分析黑格爾、霍耐特的現代承認理論的得失，特別對霍耐特所提出的“生存模式的承認”與黑格爾的“主奴辯證法”進行反思性分析，揭示出現代承認理論的人類學前提是將人理解為一個口只關注人的必死性的欲望的主體；之後回到奥古斯丁，通過重構奥古斯丁關於人從記憶中尋求上帝的描述，提出一種基於創造論(proctology)的承認理論，指出這種承認理論的人類學前提是將人理解為一個關注人的降生性的感應的主體；最後通過分析儒教經典中的相關論述，指出天人之倫乃是父子之倫、朋友之倫、君臣之倫的基礎，從而為一種宗教性的生命倫理學奠定理論基礎。 Recognition involves mutual recognition between the self and others. As such, the theory of recognition can be understood as a philosophical theory about the constitution of human relations. This article first analyzes Hegel's and Honneth's modern theories of recognition. It critically assesses Honneth's “recognition of the mode of existence” and Hegel's “master-slave dialectics,” revealing that these modern recognition theories embrace an anthropological premise: man is understood as a subject who only pays attention to the desire of man's mortality. The article then turns to Augustine's doctrine. By reconstructing Augustine's description of man seeking God from memory, the article proposes a protology-based theory of recognition, laying out an alternate anthropological premise in which man is understood as a sympathetic subject concerned with human incarnation. Finally, in analyzing relevant discussions in Confucian classics, the article indicates that the relationship between Heaven and man is the foundation for the relationship between father and son, the relationship between friend and friend, and the relationship between monarch and minister, laying a theoretical foundation for Confucian religious bioethics.

Mou Zongsan, one of the representatives of Modern Confucianism, belongs to the most important Chinese philosophers in the 20th century. From a more traditional Confucian perspective, this book makes a critical analysis on Mou's "moral metaphysics", mainly his thoughts about Confucian ethos. The author observes that Mou simplifies Confucian ethos rooted in various and specific environments, making them equal to modern ethics, which is a subversion of the ethical order of life advocated by traditional Confucianism. Besides, the author believes that Mou has twisted Confucian ethos systematically by introducing Kant's concept of autonomy into the interpretation of Confucian thoughts. Scholars and students in Chinese philosophy, especially those in Confucian studies, will be attracted by this book. Also, it will appeal to readers interested in comparative philosophy.