Han Qingxiang: The Philosophical Logic of Constructing an Independent Knowledge System for China's Philosophy and Social Sciences
General Secretary Xi Jinping recently issued important instructions on promoting the high-quality development of the philosophy and social sciences, emphasizing: "Accelerate the construction of an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences to better answer the questions of China, the world, the people, and the times; strive to create a new situation for the high-quality development of philosophy and social sciences; and contribute more wisdom and strength to the construction of Chinese-path modernization." The foundation of constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences is philosophy itself. One must first begin with philosophy to provide the premises, foundations, frameworks, and paradigms for constructing this independent knowledge system. We must profoundly grasp the philosophical logic of constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences, and deeply cultivate its roots with a high degree of philosophical self-awareness.
Establish an Ontological Foundation Based on the Practice of Chinese-path Modernization
Ontology is the basic philosophical theory that studies existence itself and the essence of all things in the world. It is the root and soul of constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences, answering the question of the "source of knowledge." To construct an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences, we must first resolve the problem of philosophical ontology. We must adhere to the viewpoint of "practice first," clarify that practice is the foundation and ontos upon which knowledge is generated and developed, and oppose book worship [1] and the practice of letting concepts precede reality.
Practice is both the source of theory and the root of knowledge production. Any scientific system of knowledge must be established on the basis of practice. To construct an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences, we must first establish its practical foundation based on the "Two Combinations" [2]—this foundation is the great practice of Chinese-path modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Taking our own path is the starting point for all the Party’s theory and practice." Chinese-path modernization is a major theoretical achievement gained by taking our own path, and it is also the most expansive and original great practice in contemporary China. Only by rooting ourselves in the practice of Chinese-path modernization can the independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences possess subjectivity and real explanatory power. Therefore, new knowledge must be refined from the practice of Chinese-path modernization. Chinese-path modernization possesses deep historical significance, cultural roots, and practical characteristics, fundamentally distinguishing it from the old path of Western modernization characterized by capital-centrism, polarization, bloated materialism, and external expansion and plunder. Chinese-path modernization can create a new form of human civilization and serve as the most realistic and original practical foundation for constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences.
Grasp the Essence and Laws of Development of Chinese-path Modernization to Establish a Correct Epistemology
Epistemology is the philosophical theory concerning the source, essence, and laws of development of human cognition. To construct an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences, we must comprehensively and deeply understand China's historical logic, cultural traditions, civilizational characteristics, social structure, and political system. We must understand the essence and laws of development of Chinese-path modernization, answering the question of "how knowledge is acquired."
The essence of a thing is the basis for why it is what it is. Only by recognizing the essence and laws of development of things can we extract scientific knowledge and do the right thing. The essence and laws of development do not present themselves plainly to people; they are obscured by many complex appearances, phenomena, and false impressions, and are covered by many erroneous ideas and concepts. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must persist in using the 'arrow' of Marxism to shoot at the 'target' of New Era China," and "we can neither 'carve a mark on the boat to find the sword' [3]—becoming closed and rigid—nor can we blindly copy and imitate others, failing to digest foreign concepts." To understand the essence and laws of development of Chinese-path modernization, we must adhere to the virtuous cycle of "practice—knowledge—again practice—again knowledge." According to the cognitive logic moving from perception to understanding and then to reason, we must "discard the dross and select the essential, eliminate the false and retain the true, proceed from one point to another, and reach the interior from the exterior." We must rise from perceptual knowledge to rational knowledge, and then return from rational knowledge to practice for testing, achieving an elevation from the summary of experience to the revelation of laws.
Adhere to the Supremacy of the People to Establish a Correct Value Orientation
Values are fundamental views and overall evaluations regarding the value orientation of the development of things, belonging to the category of axiology in philosophy. Chinese-path modernization is a people-centered modernization. To construct an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences, we must unequivocally adhere to the value standpoint of the supremacy of the people, answering the question of "whom to serve."
Value orientation is the core category of philosophical axiology; it is the standpoint and direction of a knowledge system. The practical foundation determines the source of knowledge, the epistemological line determines the acquisition of knowledge, and the value standpoint determines the direction of knowledge. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "For our country's philosophy and social sciences to achieve anything, they must adhere to a people-centered research orientation. Divorced from the people, philosophy and social sciences will lack attraction, infectiousness, influence, and vitality." To construct an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences, we must insist that development is for the people, relies on the people, and its fruits are shared by the people. We must always place the people in the highest position in our hearts, taking the satisfaction of the people’s growing needs for a better life as the starting and ending point. We must focus on the urgent anxieties and difficulties of the masses, and persist in writing for the people and speaking for the people. This is the essential requirement of the materialist conception of history, the essential attribute of Marxism, the highest value criterion for the Communist Party of China's governance, and the fundamental value marker that distinguishes it from Western knowledge systems.
Take the Systems Concept as an Important Thinking Method to Enhance Methodological Self-Awareness
Methodology is the theory regarding the fundamental methods by which people understand and transform the world. Whether there is methodological self-awareness signifies, in a certain sense, whether a knowledge system is mature. Method depends on the nature of the problem. The great practice of Chinese-path modernization is a complex system of a strategic and long-term nature, with many contradictory relationships among its internal elements. Consequently, we must persist in taking the systems concept as the foundation, strategic thinking as the command, and dialectical thinking as the method. We must use the systems concept to handle complex problems, strategic thinking to handle strategic issues, and dialectical thinking to handle contradictory relationships, answering the question of "what method" should be followed in constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The systems concept is a fundamental method of thinking and work." Adhering to the systems concept inherently requires observing the general trend, planning for the overall situation, grasping the fundamentals, and thinking long-term and holistically. We must proceed from elements, structures, levels, coordination, totality, and openness to grasp the internal mechanisms and evolutionary laws of the operation of Chinese-path modernization. We must coordinate a series of relationships in the process of Chinese-path modernization: top-level design and grassroots exploration, strategy and tactics, upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground, efficiency and fairness, vitality and order, self-reliance and opening up to the outside world, economy and society, government and market, development and security, the present and the long-term, the local and the global, the part and the whole, and momentum and balance. This is to achieve a systemic effect where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We must also integrate knowledge from various disciplines within the philosophy and social sciences—be they ancient, modern, Chinese, or foreign—to reflect a sense of totality. Integrating the systems concept throughout the entire process and all aspects of constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences will allow for the formation of a scientific system that is logically rigorous, clearly layered, and rationally structured, avoiding the fragmentation, isolation, and stagnation of knowledge.
Focus on Equality of Subjects and Inclusive Beneficence to Establish a New Philosophical Paradigm
A philosophical paradigm refers to the cognitive patterns, modes of thinking, analytical frameworks, explanatory norms, and evaluation standards that are collectively upheld and followed by philosophical research in a certain historical period. The most fundamental task in constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences is to establish a philosophical paradigm, answering questions regarding the mode of thinking and analytical framework of the knowledge system. A shift in the philosophical paradigm is the philosophical revolution that the construction of China's independent knowledge system seeks to achieve. To discuss the construction of China's independent knowledge system without the transformation of the philosophical paradigm would mean losing the support of underlying logic; it would easily slide into a formalistic construction rather than substantive independence, rendering knowledge into scattered fragments.
In a certain sense, Western knowledge systems have promoted human cognition of the objective world and the progress of science and technology. However, this knowledge system is dominated by the philosophical paradigm of "Western-centrism." Ontologically, it focuses on the individual and binary oppositions, emphasizing that the individual precedes society, forming binary oppositions such as "subject-object" and "freedom-order." Epistemologically, it promotes instrumental rationality, unconditionally transplanting natural science methods into the fields of humanities and social sciences. Axiologically, it emphasizes objective neutrality, concealing its underlying ideological attributes. In its historical outlook, it takes Western civilization as the center and measure of human history, viewing the Western path of modernization as the sole path for human modernization. Methodologically, it focuses on reductionism and the like, neglecting to grasp dimensions from a holistic, systemic, and dialectical perspective. In terms of signature categories, it constructs core categories around freedom and democracy, with concepts characterized by high levels of abstraction, formalization, and dehistoricization. In its narrative structure and discourse, it constructs linear narratives of "tradition-modernity," "autocracy-democracy," "closed-open," "center-periphery," and "West-East." The essence of this knowledge system is the implementation of knowledge hegemony and discursive monopoly, leaving non-Western knowledge production in a state of "dependency."
Constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences requires transcending the philosophical paradigm of Western knowledge systems and establishing a philosophical paradigm of equality among subjects and inclusive beneficence, integrating this throughout the construction of the independent knowledge system. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Civilizations are colorful, and human civilizations have the value of exchange and mutual learning because of their diversity." "Civilizations are equal, and human civilizations have the premise for exchange and mutual learning because of their equality." "Civilizations are inclusive, and human civilizations have the impetus for exchange and mutual learning because of their inclusiveness." Chinese-path modernization focuses on common prosperity, mutual coordination, harmonious coexistence, and peaceful development. It contains the philosophical foundation of equality of subjects and inclusive beneficence. It can both develop a new form of human civilization based on concepts such as peaceful development, win-win cooperation, and inclusive beneficence, and provide a solid philosophical foundation for constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences.
This philosophical paradigm possesses distinct characteristics. It takes the Marxist philosophy of "human liberation" and the "Hehe" (harmony and convergence) philosophy of fine traditional Chinese culture as its intellectual resources and theoretical basis. It emphasizes equal coexistence and coordinated progress, rejecting modes of thinking based on dominance, possession, and rule. It achieves a shift in philosophical paradigms: from "the supremacy of capital" to "the supremacy of the people," from "subject-object opposition" to "equality of subjects," from "unilateral rule" to "inclusive beneficence," from "unilateral output" to "bilateral mutual learning," and from "dependency" to "independence." Taking Chinese-path modernization as its practical standing point, and aiming at seeking happiness for the Chinese people, rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, progress for humanity, and the common good for the world, it provides the philosophical basis and explanatory framework for constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences. This ensures that the independent Chinese knowledge system possesses a cognitive character and a "Chinese style" that is rooted in China, looks to the world, cares for humanity, faces the future, and leads the times.
(The author is a researcher at the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Central Party School [National Academy of Governance])