Yang Hongyuan: Guided by the Spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, Construct the Philosophical Foundation of China's Independent Knowledge System
"A nation that wants to climb the pinnacles of science cannot afford to be without theoretical thought for a single moment." (Selected Works of Marx and Engels, Vol. 9, p. 437). As a vital tool for understanding and transforming the world, and as a source and carrier of theory, the philosophy and social sciences play a role as a catalyst for knowledge transformation and a vanguard for thought in the process of advancing social and historical progress. Modernization is an inevitable trend in the development of human society. Realizing socialist modernization requires the continuous promotion of a benign interaction between theoretical innovation and practical innovation, using developing theories to guide developing practice; in particular, it cannot do without the theoretical support and intellectual power of the philosophy and social sciences.
At a critical juncture when the basic achievement of socialist modernization is about to enter a period of consolidating foundations and exerting full force, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee reviewed and adopted the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Drawing Up the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. Deeply grasping the laws of development of the philosophy and social sciences, the Recommendations proposed to "innovatively implement the Project to Study and Build Marxist Theory, and accelerate the construction of a Chinese autonomous knowledge system for the philosophy and social sciences" (Recommendations, p. 26). This reflects the high degree of theoretical consciousness of the Chinese Communists in the New Era and provides a clear direction and guide for action for the prosperity and development of China's philosophy and social sciences. Within the philosophy and social sciences, philosophy plays a foundational and guiding role by providing a worldview and methodology for the social sciences. To profoundly grasp the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and ground ourselves in the historical coordinates of China’s economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, we must deeply understand the vital role of philosophy in constructing a Chinese autonomous knowledge system. We must systematically survey existing explorations regarding the philosophical foundations of this system, and, under the premise of focusing on the problems of the times and identifying key difficulties, use philosophical innovation to push forward the construction of a Chinese autonomous knowledge system with full force.
I. Grasping the Foundational Role of Philosophy in the Chinese Autonomous Knowledge System within its Historical Coordinates
"Any true philosophy is the spiritual essence of its own time" (Collected Works of Marx and Engels, Vol. 1, p. 220). Because philosophy itself bears the imprint of the era and possesses practical concerns, it is often closely linked to epochal transformations. In the current era, China is not only undergoing the most profound and extensive social transformation in its history but is also conducting the most grand and unique practical exploration in human history. This has provided vast space and inexhaustible momentum for intellectual creation, theoretical innovation, and methodological reform in a philosophical sense, thereby laying the philosophical foundation for constructing a Chinese autonomous knowledge system. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the philosophical foundation of the Chinese autonomous knowledge system must be examined within the practical process of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era. It must take the historical coordinates of China’s economic and social development during this period as its reference, profoundly understand the historical process of Chinese-path modernization, and systematically survey the history of the development of the discipline of philosophy in China and its journey toward autonomy.
Following the law of the transformation of quantitative change into qualitative change in the development of things, China's realization of socialist modernization is a long and arduous historical process, characterized by step-by-step progression and continuous development. In terms of its fundamental nature, Chinese-path modernization "is socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China" (Selected Readings from the Works of Xi Jinping, Vol. 1, p. 18). Looking back at the course of exploring the path to modernization since the beginning of China's modern era, it was precisely under the leadership of the CPC that the Chinese people fought bloody battles with unyielding perseverance, won the victory of the New Democratic Revolution [1], established the New China where the people are masters of the country, and achieved the independence of the Chinese nation and the liberation of the Chinese people. This laid the fundamental social conditions for realizing Chinese-path modernization. Centering on the theme of building China into a modern socialist country, the CPC led the Chinese people through socialist revolution, construction, and reform. The Party persisted in using medium- and long-term planning to guide economic and social development, scientifically formulating and successively implementing one Five-Year Plan after another, which laid a solid material foundation and provided valuable practical experience for modernization.
Particularly since Socialism with Chinese Characteristics entered the New Era, the CPC has used comprehensively deepening reform as a starting point, focusing on resolving prominent contradictions and problems in modernization. It has united and led the Chinese people in completing the historical task of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, achieving the First Centenary Goal, and successfully advancing and expanding Chinese-path modernization. On this basis, the CPC has further mapped out a grand blueprint for comprehensively promoting the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. It has clarified the "two-step" strategic arrangement [2] for building a great modern socialist country in all respects: basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035 is the first step, which needs to be completed through the implementation of three Five-Year Plans, from the "14th" to the "16th." As a period that connects the past and the future, the "15th Five-Year Plan" must, on the one hand, build upon the new major achievements in economic and social development attained during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period and continue the good start achieved in the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country. By consolidating and expanding advantages, breaking through bottlenecks, and strengthening weak links, it will continuously stabilize the foundation of development and enhance developmental resilience. On the other hand, it must focus on the coordinated efforts of all fields of China’s economic and social development to achieve systemic breakthroughs and overall improvement, "promoting major breakthroughs in strategic tasks concerning the overall situation of Chinese-path modernization, and laying a more solid foundation for basically achieving socialist modernization" (Recommendations, p. 3).
According to the basic Marxist viewpoint, practice is the basis of knowledge and the source of all knowledge. The reason philosophy can be aligned and integrated with the social sciences lies in their respective relationships with "practice"—that is, philosophy is the understanding of the essence and laws of human practical activities, while social sciences take the practice of various fields of human society as their specific objects of study. The formulation "philosophy and social sciences," which possesses distinct Chinese characteristics, has itself established the premise for constructing a Chinese autonomous knowledge system. In line with the phased characteristics of the practice of Chinese-path modernization, the process of building the philosophical foundation of the Chinese autonomous knowledge system also demonstrates the prominent features of gradual progress and deepening layers.
After the founding of the New China, facing the epochal task of a resolute and steady transition to socialism, and in order to meet the needs of rapid development in economy, politics, and culture, the CPC extensively and vigorously carried out foundational study and dissemination of philosophical theory. This allowed people to gradually master the basic principles of historical materialism through the history of social development. Subsequently, in the exploration of the path and laws of socialist construction, the Chinese philosophical community used philosophical worldviews and methodologies to observe and handle new situations. They conducted extensive discussions and debates on subjective initiative and objective laws, the identity of thinking and being, "dividing one into two" versus "combining two into one" [3], the methodology of the history of philosophy, formal logic, and dialectical logic. Textbooks are an important carrier of knowledge systems. During the period of socialist revolution and construction, the Chinese philosophical community developed a theoretical consciousness to independently compile textbooks on philosophical principles, insisting on Marxism-Leninism as a guide and combining it with China’s concrete reality. This promoted the construction of the philosophical foundation of the Chinese autonomous knowledge system through the building of a textbook system. This is evident in Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism, edited under the name of Ai Siqi. As the first general Marxist philosophy textbook since the founding of the New China, it provided philosophical explanations for major theoretical and practical problems in China’s socialist revolution and construction. Moreover, it paid particular attention to transforming the scientific Marxist worldview into a useful methodology for thought and work, satisfying the needs of socialist construction at that time for a correct worldview and methodology.
In the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, the focus of the Party and the state shifted to economic construction, initiating a "New Long March" [4] of Chinese-path modernization through reform and opening up. To meet the theoretical need to proceed from Chinese reality and follow China’s own path to modernization, the Chinese philosophical community shook off the influence of Soviet philosophical textbooks. Taking the reconstruction of the Marxist philosophical system as its starting point and goal, and through discussions such as the one on the criterion of truth [5], it profoundly elucidated the spiritual essence of Marxist philosophy and promoted the formation of a main theme of reflection and reconstruction. At the same time, innovations in theory, systems, culture, and other aspects based on the practice of modernization—especially the implementation of the socialist market economy system—realized a major transformation of all social life based on economic life. This allowed the construction of the philosophical foundation of China's autonomous knowledge system at that time to present a spirit of "returning to the roots to innovate" [6]. Whether it was the debates centered on truth and value, development and cost, fairness and efficiency, the humanistic spirit and the scientific spirit; the continuous exploration of the transformation of the concept of philosophy, the critique of modernity, and the all-around development of the person; or the flourishing of the history of Marxist philosophy, foreign Marxism, the comparison of Chinese and Western philosophy, and the critique and reflection of practical aesthetics—all fully demonstrated the beneficial attempts of the Chinese philosophical community to break through the predicament where theoretical innovation lagged behind practical development, allowing philosophy to truly return to its essence as the spiritual essence of the age.
As Socialism with Chinese Characteristics entered the New Era, China's development stepped into a new historical coordinate. Facing the major epochal task of advancing and expanding Chinese-path modernization, the Chinese philosophical community has taken the construction of an autonomous knowledge system oriented toward Chinese-path modernization as its mission, continuously accelerating the construction of the philosophical foundation of a Chinese autonomous knowledge system. On the one hand, they promote the study and interpretation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture to achieve a deep grasp of the Chinese autonomous knowledge system. Within Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, accelerating the construction of a Chinese autonomous knowledge system for philosophy and social sciences is a major theoretical innovation, and the "Chinese autonomous knowledge system" is one of the original and landmark concepts. The Chinese philosophical community insists on taking Xi Jinping Thought on Culture as a guide, proceeding from cultural subjectivity and the "Two Combinations," especially the "Second Combination" [7], to profoundly reveal the essential stipulations, basic connotations, and construction paths of the Chinese autonomous knowledge system. On the other hand, they ground themselves in the characteristics of philosophy itself to conduct academic inquiries and consolidate the foundation for constructing the system. The knowledge system itself is a basic subject of philosophical epistemological research. The Chinese philosophical community has not only deeply explored the philosophical premises of constructing an autonomous knowledge system in terms of conceptual elements, logical foundations, and methodology but has also fully excavated philosophical resources. Based on the characteristics of Chinese philosophical discourse in the New Era, they seek the high degree of compatibility between Marxist philosophy and Chinese philosophy. Using the redrawing of the world philosophical map by foreign philosophy as a reference frame, they promote the integration and interaction between Chinese philosophical discourse and various knowledge systems, drawing on each other’s strengths to achieve knowledge innovation and systemic construction.
II. Continuously Consolidating the Philosophical Foundation of the Chinese Autonomous Knowledge System through Upholding the Fundamentals and Breaking New Ground
"The degree to which theory is realized in a nation is always determined by the degree to which the theory satisfies the needs of that nation" (Selected Works of Marx and Engels, Vol. 1, p. 12). In contemporary China, upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground is the main theme of the era's development and the core element of the spirit of the times. Upholding the fundamentals is the premise and basis for innovation, while innovation is the purpose and path of upholding the fundamentals; the two complement each other in a dialectical unity, together constituting an important driving force for economic and social development. Accelerating the construction of the philosophical foundation of the Chinese autonomous knowledge system—and adapting it to the theoretical needs of consolidating foundations and exerting full force for the basic realization of socialist modernization during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period—cannot do without adhering to the principle of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground.
In a philosophical sense, "upholding the fundamentals" (shǒuzhèng) means adhering to the inherent stipulations and essential requirements of things; it emphasizes seeking truth from facts, truthful understanding, and the correct direction of development. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Adhering to the guidance of Marxism is the fundamental hallmark that distinguishes contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences from other philosophy and social sciences, and it must be upheld with a clear-cut stand" (Xi Jinping, p. 8). Marxism possesses distinct scientific and truthful qualities, revealing the universal laws governing the development of nature, human society, and human thought; it is the scientific truth for understanding and transforming the real world. Marxism has not only promoted the profound transformation of Chinese civilization but has also taken root in Chinese soil, gradually achieving Sinicization and modernization, and guiding China to achieve numerous historical milestones during the periods of revolution, construction, and reform. This history has endowed Chinese philosophy and social sciences with a definitive nature and necessity: the insistence on Marxist guidance. Only in this way can the development of Chinese philosophy and social sciences avoid losing its soul or direction, and truly play its role in providing theoretical support and intellectual security for the realization of socialist modernization.
The distinguishing feature of Marxist theory that differentiates it from other theories lies in its practical nature. Marx and Engels understood society and history by proceeding from real individuals and their activities, thereby founding Marxist philosophy. In Marx’s view, "man must prove the truth, i.e., the reality and power, the this-sidedness of his thinking in practice" (Selected Works of Marx and Engels, Vol. 1, p. 500). The chief defect of all hitherto existing materialism was that reality was not grasped as sensuous human activity, or practice. Idealism, meanwhile, did not understand practice itself but instead "developed the active side abstractly" (ibid., p. 499). It is precisely by taking practice as the primary and basic viewpoint that Marxist philosophy critiqued old materialism and idealism, achieving a great revolution in the history of philosophy. Guided by Marxism, social science—as a system of knowledge for cognizing and understanding practice—responds to the needs of the times and promotes social progress through the combination of theory and practice. From this perspective, Marxist philosophy and the Marxist-guided social sciences constitute a "substance and application" [8] relationship. Therefore, deeply understanding the worldview and methodological significance of Marxist philosophy, and fully recognizing the unique path and cultural traditions through which Chinese philosophy and social sciences were formed, are important prerequisites for constructing the philosophical foundations of China’s independent knowledge system.
In terms of philosophical implication, the core of "innovation" lies in the liberation of ideas—breaking down old concepts, models, and practices that do not conform to things and their development, and being adept at discovering and applying new connections, attributes, and laws of things to better engage in the practice of cognizing and transforming the world. Starting from the consolidation of foundations, the key to promoting the construction of China's independent knowledge system through philosophical innovation lies in how to grasp "Chinese characteristics" and "autonomy," fundamentally shaking off blind following and dependence on Western knowledge systems, and conducting theoretical innovation based on practical innovation rooted in China’s reality.
If the reflection and critique of Western knowledge systems are to be thorough, they must grasp their essence and fundamental problems, especially the underlying hubris of subjective power and methodological nodes, rather than merely stopping at refuting specific viewpoints. A so-called knowledge system is by no means a simple summation of various knowledge points, nor a collection of information and data; rather, it is an organic whole formed through systematic integration, a social cognitive structure constituted by the interconnection and interaction between humans and the external world, embodying the unity of a certain worldview, outlook on life, values, and methodology. Among the many knowledge systems of humanity, the Western knowledge system based on ancient Greco-Roman foundations is only one. As the West took the lead in achieving modernization, the Western knowledge system further absorbed and summarized its experience of modernization to achieve a dominant position. Relying on Western political and economic hegemony, it formed a knowledge monopoly, creating significant obstacles to the mutual flow and integration of knowledge systems and the exchange and mutual learning between civilizations. It is also detrimental to the vast number of developing countries in their independent exploration of modernization paths suited to themselves.
The long-term hold of Western academia over the right to speak [9] in knowledge once led to a widespread acceptance in the social sciences of the Western definitions of knowledge and truth, even forming the erroneous perception of the Western knowledge system as the sole truth. Examining the "objectivity of knowledge" flaunted by Western social sciences from a methodological standpoint, it is not difficult to find that it was the 19th-century trend of positivism—building on the empiricist tradition and the dichotomy between fact and value, as well as the principle of scientific objectivity established in early modern science—that introduced so-called "de-valuation" into the scientization of social research. This allowed the "value neutrality" and "value-freedom" of the research subject to gain wide currency. To be sure, this "objectivity of knowledge," which profoundly reflects the "power-knowledge" structure, became an important content of reflections on modernity in the 20th century. Nor is the Western modern knowledge system lacking in theoretical forms possessed of subjectivity and originality; from 19th-century German Classical Philosophy to French philosophy since the 20th century, and down to Anglo-American philosophy today, there is a clear sense of autonomy. At the same time, however, there exist practices that, under the guise of "value neutrality" and "value pluralism," continue to promote the hegemony of knowledge discourse, excluding the value propositions of civilizations outside the West from the knowledge system and completely severing the cultural subjectivity of these civilizations from the knowledge systems they produced.
Only by breaking Western knowledge discourse hegemony from its philosophical foundations, especially its methodology, can we possess the autonomy to construct our own knowledge system—that is, the conditions for both subjectivity and originality. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Whether our philosophy and social sciences possess Chinese characteristics ultimately depends on whether they possess subjectivity and originality" (Selected Works of Xi Jinping, Vol. 1, p. 482). In essence, the objectivity of "facts" and the "value neutrality" of the research subject under the dominance of positivist methodology are nothing more than metaphysical presuppositions, because "facts" are always discovered by a research subject. The practical methodology of Marxist philosophy can provide the "weapon of criticism." Unlike "facts" that exist relatively independent of the subject and without reliance on subjective activity, "practice"—as a process of interaction between subject and object—enables the research subject to resort to various ways of cognizing and grasping "facts." The Chinese knowledge system established on this basis thus possesses subjectivity and originality, and Chinese philosophy and social sciences gain the possibility of having "Chinese characteristics." Not only that, the great practice of Chinese-path modernization, which has shattered the myth of and dependence on Western modernization, also provides an inexhaustible source and innovative impetus for the construction of China's independent knowledge system. As a modernization that continues rather than eliminates ancient civilization, the successful advancement and expansion of Chinese-path modernization powerfully proves that Chinese civilization, which possessed an independent knowledge system in antiquity, can still endow Chinese philosophy and social sciences with cultural subjectivity and create an independent knowledge system belonging to our era.
Constructing the foundation of China’s independent knowledge system based on the practical methodology of Marxist philosophy inherently requires the absorption and transformation of existing accumulated human knowledge, as well as the testing, critique, and innovation of existing knowledge within the context of continuously developing history and practice. The reason for this lies in the basic characteristic of practice as socio-historical—that is, it is always conducted within certain social relations and is constantly developing and changing. Only within social history is practice real and concrete. It is in this sense that Marx and Engels said: "We know only a single science, the science of history" (Selected Works of Marx and Engels, Vol. 1, p. 516). The autonomy of China’s independent knowledge system is by no means a closed, defensive, or rigid self-centrism, nor is it cultural conservatism or nationalism. Upholding an attitude of openness and inclusiveness, actively drawing on and timely absorbing the excellent achievements of accumulated human knowledge, is a necessary part of consolidating the philosophical foundation for constructing China’s independent knowledge system. On the one hand, we must accurately grasp the relationship between universal knowledge and local knowledge, being adept at distilling the essence of universal knowledge and absorbing those basic elements that constitute the modern knowledge system; we must follow the law of moving from the particular to the general, and fully draw on the historical experience through which local knowledge acquires universal validity. On the other hand, we must correctly handle the relationship with other knowledge traditions—for example, reflecting on the Western rationalist tradition and responding to the challenges of mainstream Western knowledge discourse—to provide epistemological justification for the construction of China’s independent knowledge system, truly ensuring that we do not seek autonomy for the sake of autonomy, nor construct for the sake of construction.
III. Putting Forth Comprehensive Effort to Build the Philosophical Foundation of China’s Independent Knowledge System Under Problem-Orientation
"Problems are the slogans of the times, the most practical cry expressing the inner state of the time itself" (Collected Works of Marx and Engels, Vol. 1, p. 203). Every era has its own problems; correctly recognizing, deeply grasping, and effectively solving these problems can promote the progress of the times and social development. The fundamental task of theory lies in answering and guiding the resolution of problems, and the same is true for accelerating the construction of China’s independent knowledge system. Looking at the course of modernization in human society, both social revolution and intellectual revolution are indispensable conditions. The thoroughness of a social revolution depends not only on material conditions—such as the development of productive forces and the intensification of social class contradictions—but also on profound changes in ideas and the renewal and reconstruction of knowledge systems. Since the beginning of the modern era, the questions of why to achieve modernization, how to achieve it, and what kind of modernization to achieve have become the questions of the times facing the Chinese people and the Chinese nation. With the continuous exploration by advanced Chinese intellectuals of national salvation and the path to modernization, the traditional Chinese "Four Divisions of Learning" [10] faced a transformation; Chinese philosophy and social sciences in the modern sense began to emerge, and continuous attempts were made to establish their own knowledge systems. In this process, several major paths were formed: the Sinicization of Western knowledge systems, the "social-scientization" of Chinese traditional knowledge systems, and the theorization and systematization of Chinese-path modernization, all of which achieved rich results. Particularly since the New Era, a subjective self-awareness of constructing China's independent knowledge system with a clear problem-orientation has been established.
Entering the "15th Five-Year Plan" period [11]—a key period for basically achieving socialist modernization—it is even more necessary to face the epochal task of promoting and expanding Chinese-path modernization and to accelerate the construction of China's independent knowledge system, so that it profoundly reflects China's independent practice of modernization, which differs from that of the West. In addition to focusing on the problems of the times, the construction of China’s independent knowledge system also needs to grasp problems philosophically and put forth comprehensive effort in building the philosophical foundation of the knowledge system. Marxist philosophy profoundly reveals that the process of human cognition and transformation of the world is also a process of constantly posing, analyzing, and solving problems, and the basis for the unity of cognizing and transforming the world lies in practice. Therefore, proceeding from the practical methodology of Marxist philosophy, building the foundation of China’s independent knowledge system must persist in problem-orientation.
A "problem" in the philosophical sense is not just any question requiring an answer or explanation, but rather actual contradictions and theoretical difficulties that need to be researched and resolved. Currently, the Chinese philosophical community upholds problem-awareness, adheres to the criterion of practice as the test of truth, returns to classical philosophical texts, observes and grasps the complex and profound problems of the times, and deeply elucidates the way philosophy attends to reality, forming a diverse array of philosophical forms and knowledge contents. For example: by resorting to identifying concepts [12] such as "practice," "contradiction," and "real individuals," scholars are innovating the research paradigm of Marxist philosophy, confronting the major practical problems of Chinese-path modernization—especially the basic theoretical philosophical problems contained therein—and attempting to contribute original and independent theoretical strength to China's economic and social development. By deeply excavating identifying concepts of great significance within traditional Chinese thought, scholars are constructing a contemporary Chinese philosophical system around the interpretation, transformation, and development of concepts such as "Heavenly Principle" (tianli), "unceasing procreation" (shengsheng), "classics and history" (jingshi), "cultivation" (gongfu), and the "Chinese language." Under the subjective consciousness of Chinese culture, scholars are "re-reading the West," formally proposing the concept of "Chinese Classical Studies" in the promotion of classical research, and exploring the way to integrate Chinese and Western philosophy based on the fundamental categories of traditional Chinese philosophy. Focusing on the breakthrough developments in science and technology such as artificial intelligence, gene editing, and quantum computing, scholars are responding to practical problems triggered by the development of emerging technologies in areas such as AI and subjectivity, and AI ethics. This series of unique research paths provides important references for constructing the philosophical foundation of China’s independent knowledge system under problem-orientation.
While seeing the significant results achieved in constructing the philosophical foundation of China’s independent knowledge system, we must also soberly realize that, as a modern scientific undertaking, Chinese philosophy and social sciences started relatively late, and there remain certain deficiencies in basic theory and methodology. For example, there is a lack of a thorough critical perspective and true problem-awareness, and a failure to fully open up space for innovation in the integration of ancient and modern, Chinese and Western thought and culture. Furthermore, there are relatively few identifying concepts and theories built on a deep scholarly foundation that have achieved global influence, and there are not yet enough truly original, forward-looking, and leading achievements. In view of this, we should adopt a global and holistic vision, deeply reflect on fundamental relational issues such as theory and practice, thought and scholarship, critique and reference, self and other, and interpretation and creation, and put forth comprehensive effort in constructing the philosophical foundation of China's independent knowledge system.
We must profoundly grasp the general trend of the times, accurately position the autonomy of our knowledge system within the interactions of global civilizations, and thoroughly break free from knowledge dependency. As a product of civilizational development, a knowledge system reflects the core concepts, value aspirations, and systematic understandings of objective laws held by different civilizations. Understanding why the problem of "autonomy" exists in knowledge systems, and why constructing a Chinese independent knowledge system has become an urgent mission and task, requires us to examine the issue through the historicity and relationality of global civilizational development, and to grasp it within the profound evolution of the "changes unseen in a century" [13]. The world today is in a period of great development, transformation, and adjustment, where cultural diversity continues to advance and civilizational interactivity is constantly strengthening. Different countries and nations are progressively reinforcing their consciousness of autonomy, striving to carry out civilizational exchanges and mutual learning on the basis of equality between their respective intellectual traditions and knowledge systems, thereby jointly promoting the prosperity and development of world civilization. Yet, at the same time, the knowledge hegemony of "Western-centrism" still controls, manipulates, and displaces the construction of knowledge systems in some countries and regions, leaving them unable to escape a state of academic colonialism and knowledge dependency. "Autonomy," in short, means "de-dependency." Only by breaking away from dependency on the dominant discourses within the global civilizational landscape and establishing a knowledge system rooted in our own national conditions can we achieve comprehensive independence in terms of knowledge production, evaluation standards, research objectives, knowledge application, and organizational systems.
"Western-centrism" possesses an obvious colonial character; it consolidates Western dominance through ideological export and cultural hegemony. The long-term dominant position occupied by Western knowledge systems in the global discourse landscape provides support for Western ideology. As stated in the Selected Readings from the Works of Xi Jinping (Vol. 1, p. 36), "Ideological work is the work of establishing a heart for the state and a soul for the nation." We must soberly recognize the urgency and complexity of constructing a Chinese independent knowledge system, hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, uphold the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological sphere, and continuously fortify our ideological positions.
To persist in using Marxism as a guide and accelerate the construction of the philosophical foundations for a Chinese independent knowledge system, we must integrate Marxism with China’s specific realities and with China’s fine traditional culture [14]. Engels pointed out: "Marx’s worldview has found adherents far beyond the boundaries of Germany and Europe, in every civilized language of the world" (Collected Works of Marx and Engels, Vol. 4, p. 265). Regarding China, only by taking root in the fertile soil of the history and culture of one's own country and nation can the tree of Marxist truth flourish with deep roots and luxuriant leaves. We should further enhance our theoretical consciousness of "integration" [15], profoundly recognize the mutual fit between the basic principles of historical materialism and the spirit of "seeking truth from facts" [16] within China's fine traditional culture, and comprehensively grasp the inherent consistency between Marx’s "historical science" and the Chinese historiographical tradition. This provides an important prerequisite for constructing the philosophical foundations of a Chinese independent knowledge system. Meanwhile, we must also fully absorb the critical spirit of Western modern thought, correctly draw upon New Exploration in epistemology from Western academia, and incorporate reflections on and critiques of capitalism to continuously enrich the theoretical sources for building the philosophical foundation of a Chinese independent knowledge system.
From the perspective of the "knowledge problem"—that is, the investigation of epistemology as a fundamental question of philosophy—the construction of an independent knowledge system is itself a subject of philosophical research. Correspondingly, providing epistemological justification for Chinese philosophy and social sciences and laying the philosophical foundation for the accelerated construction of a Chinese independent knowledge system has become the primary task in constructing an autonomous system of Chinese philosophy. To this end, various sub-disciplines of philosophy should shoulder missions in different fields and dimensions. Regarding Marxist philosophy, we should deeply excavate the breakthroughs made by dialectical materialism and historical materialism against old knowledge systems, draw on the critiques of the knowledge systems that maintain capitalism found in Western Marxism, and derive worldviews and methodological insights to provide correct guidance for the philosophical foundation of a Chinese independent knowledge system. Regarding Chinese philosophy, we should systematically sort through the processes of absorption and transformation of other intellectual traditions by Chinese philosophy throughout its historical development, giving full play to its role as a vital dimension for understanding the development of contemporary Chinese civilization, thereby providing an important perspective for moving beyond the dominant logic of Western knowledge systems. Regarding foreign philosophy, we should constantly update our research horizons and domains of discourse to deepen our understanding of modernization and modern civilization, providing the necessary preparation for the construction of a Chinese independent knowledge system to transcend the scope of "local knowledge." Furthermore, in fields such as ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, religious studies, logic, and the philosophy of science and technology, we should adhere to criteria based on the scope of problems and objects of study. We must adapt to changes in the digital era—such as the significant increase in the efficiency of human knowledge production, the endless emergence of intellectual achievements, and the accelerated updating of knowledge structures—to philosophically clarify the relationship between human knowledge production and other diverse practical activities. We must earnestly undertake the important task of solving real-world problems and accumulating practical knowledge, performing the necessary philosophical foundational work for knowledge production in relevant fields.
(Unit: Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)
Source: Philosophical Research (《哲学研究》), Issue 12, 2025
Editor: Hui Hui