Shen Zhuanghai: Profoundly Grasping the Fundamental Significance of Constructing an Independent Knowledge System in Cultural Prosperity and Development
"To speed up 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; and to strive to create a new situation for the high-quality development of philosophy and social sciences"—these were the key points emphasized by General Secretary Xi Jinping in a recent important instruction on promoting the high-quality development of philosophy and social sciences. Constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences is the foundation of cultural prosperity and is of great significance for gaining strategic initiative in international cultural competition. The "15th Five-Year Plan" [1] outline regards "speeding up the construction of an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences" as a major measure to "stimulate the cultural innovation and creative vitality of the whole nation and to promote the prosperity and development of socialist culture." We must profoundly grasp the fundamental significance of constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences within cultural prosperity and development, better shoulder the new cultural mission of the New Era, and better construct Chinese spirit, Chinese values, and Chinese strength.
The Foundational Composition of a Cultural System
Culture is the soul of a country and a nation. Human research and exploration of knowledge in cultural practices have a long history. While the use of the term "knowledge" (知识 zhīshi) by ancient Chinese people differed from its modern meaning, the connotations of terms such as zhī (knowing), zhì (wisdom), and xuewèn (learning/scholarship) are quite consistent with the modern understanding of knowledge. For example: "The extension of knowledge lies in the investigation of things" [2]; "That by which humans know is called the capacity for knowledge, and when knowledge tallies with reality it is called wisdom" [3]; and "That which the wise seek is scholarship." Marxist epistemology elucidates the internal connection between knowledge and practice, proposing that knowledge is the sum of understanding and experience gained by people in social practice. An organic whole composed of various types of knowledge according to internal logic, disciplinary structure, and practical function constitutes a knowledge system.
A knowledge system is vital to the formation, development, and continuity of a cultural system. In daily life, "knowledge" and "culture" are sometimes used interchangeably; the idea that a person possessing knowledge is a person of culture, while lacking profound insight into the nuances, vividly demonstrates the foundational position of the knowledge system within the cultural system. The knowledge system within a given cultural system is both the core essence of the cultural system’s developmental achievements and the key skeleton supporting its further development. Rooted in the historical traditions and realistic practices of a country and nation, the knowledge system fully absorbs the nutrients of cultural development. Through original, vivid, rich, and systematic theoretical knowledge, it centrally demonstrates the thinking capacity, spiritual character, and civilizational quality of a cultural community. By highly generalizing the core traits and spiritual kernel of the cultural system in theoretical terms, it serves as an important hallmark of a cultural system reaching maturity. The knowledge system undertakes the important functions of interpreting history, summarizing laws [4], and shaping values, providing core support and powerful momentum for the cultural system to advance with the times and uphold the fundamentals and break new ground.
The Foundational Condition for Cultural Prosperity and Development
Cultural prosperity is a clear manifestation of the vitality of a cultural system and an inevitable requirement for the cultural system to fulfill its role as a "soul." Cultural prosperity is reflected not only in a significant increase in the quantity and quality of cultural products and services but, more importantly, in the fact that ideas can stand firm, values remain stable, discourse is coherent, and the spirit has roots. Achieving cultural prosperity requires the joint support of the economic base, institutional guarantees, technological transformation, and many other conditions. Among these many conditions, constructing an independent knowledge system for philosophy and social sciences is a foundational condition because it can establish cultural subjectivity, provide an ideological core, fortify cultural roots, and consolidate the foundation of the subject.
Subjectivity and independence of spirit are the deepest and most lasting sources of strength for cultural prosperity. The independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences is guided by Marxism—particularly the latest achievements in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. Based on Chinese historical traditions and realistic practices, it is a highly condensed knowledge-level synthesis of the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Constructing an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences, while adhering to Chinese positions, Chinese problems, and Chinese practices as the foundation, establishes cultural subjectivity. This can enhance cultural awareness, increase cultural confidence, strengthen cultural identity, and build ideological consensus, providing stable spiritual support and inexhaustible spiritual power for cultural prosperity. Engels said: "A nation that wants to stand on the highest peaks of science cannot for a moment be without theoretical thinking." Only deep-seated prosperity in thought and theory can support the formation of more cultural works of depth and height.
Constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences can prepare the theoretical groundwork for cultural prosperity, providing ideological guidance, academic support, and methodological direction, thus offering deep ideological resources for cultural activities. Cultural prosperity is not "water without a source or a tree without roots" [5]; it must be rooted in its own civilizational tradition. Constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences connects the essence of Marxist thought with the cream of fine traditional Chinese culture and undertakes the creative transformation and innovative development of the spiritual resources and rich wisdom of the Chinese nation, thereby fortifying the roots of cultural prosperity. Cultural prosperity cannot be separated from the widespread stimulation of the cultural innovation and creative vitality of the entire nation, nor from the cultivation of a large-scale, rationally structured, and pioneering team of high-level cultural talents. All of these depend on the teaching, learning, and mastery of knowledge in the philosophy and social sciences. Constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences can systematically cultivate the cognitive, practical, and innovative abilities of the cultural subject, enhance the cultural literacy of the citizenry, and consolidate the subjective foundation of cultural prosperity.
For a country or a nation to climb the heights of culture, it must possess a mature and systematic independent knowledge system. We must persist in taking the Party's innovative theories as our guide, focusing on the systematic and academic research and interpretation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We must scientifically answer major theoretical and practical questions regarding Chinese-path modernization, strengthen exchange and cooperation across various disciplines of philosophy and social sciences, and accelerate the construction of an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences. The pioneering cause and world-renowned achievements of China in the New Era are the "living source waters" [6] for accelerating this construction. We must further answer the major theoretical and practical questions of Chinese-path modernization, deeply explain the internal logic of China’s development toward the "new" and the "excellent," summarize and extract stylized understandings of laws, deeply study the major issues facing our country’s development, and constantly cultivate new growth points for disciplines and academics to promote the development of individual disciplines and the overall development of Chinese philosophy and social sciences.
The Foundational Reliance for Cultural Exchange and Mutual Learning
The progress of human civilization is inseparable from cultural exchange and mutual learning. In the current era, the global exchange, blending, and confrontation of various ideologies and cultures are becoming increasingly frequent. This is gradually moving from the surface-level display of cultural symbols, dissemination of cultural works, and borrowing of cultural forms toward deeper civilizational dialogue, value communication, and the clashing of ideas. Against this background, constructing an independent knowledge system for philosophy and social sciences has become the foundational reliance for promoting a more equal, autonomous, open, and sustainable participation of different cultural systems in cultural exchange and mutual learning.
Cultural exchange emphasizes seeking deep-level civilizational dialogue, value integration, and ideological resonance. Exchange and mutual learning between different cultures are, in essence, based on their respective original and systematic knowledge systems, which inevitably involve the dissemination and fusion of knowledge. Whether a culture can stand its ground, win respect, and exert lasting influence in exchange and mutual learning depends on whether it possesses an independent and mature knowledge system. Lacking an independent knowledge system, a culture can only passively accept, simply repeat, or blindly follow in cultural exchanges. It can neither establish the subjective status required for equal dialogue, nor can it use its own cognitive framework to rationally identify and critically absorb foreign cultures, much less provide beneficial inspiration for other civilizations. Such cultural exchange not only fails to benefit the outward dissemination of one's own culture but may even lead to losing one's way amidst cultural turbulence—being assimilated, dissolved, and losing cultural subjectivity. Therefore, we must broaden our academic horizons, uphold a concern for humanity, and construct an independent knowledge system for philosophy and social sciences that possesses both Chinese characteristics and international consensus. We must use the persuasiveness, explanatory power, and communicative power of this system to enhance the attraction, appeal, and influence of Chinese culture.
Since the dawn of the New Era, we have persisted in maintaining confidence and self-reliance, staying open and inclusive, and have conducted fruitful explorations in cultural exchange and mutual learning. At the same time, we must clearly see that we still face dilemmas where cultural dissemination remains at the level of superficial cultural symbols and where cultural characteristics are misread or dissolved. The deep-seated reason is that subjectivity, originality, persuasiveness, explanatory power, and communicative power within our knowledge system need further improvement. This requires us to accelerate the construction of an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences and to create new concepts, new categories, and new expressions that are easily understood and accepted by the international community. Meanwhile, the successful practice of Chinese-path modernization and China's role as a responsible major power in the international community have led more and more countries to turn their eyes toward China, eager to understand the Chinese path, draw on Chinese wisdom, and find development solutions consistent with their own national conditions. This likewise requires us to be skilled at interpreting Chinese practice and constructing Chinese theory. While telling stories well, we must also explain the principles (the "Dao") well. Through "China in academia," "China in theory," and "China in philosophy and social sciences," we shall contribute Chinese wisdom to solving the common problems of humanity and promoting the progress of human civilization.