文明的边缘——对华夏文明历史地位与人类文明进程的反思

The Edge of Civilizations——Some Reflections on the Status of the Chinese Civilization and the Development of World Civilizations

人类文明进展的前提是足够多的“闲人”之间的充分交流。在人类进入新石器时代,发展出农业,能支持城市这一文明发展的标志和载体之后,下一步的跃进需要文字、青铜、(被驯化的)马、轮子/车子这四大发明。它们由人类文明的早期中心和摇篮的两河流域和埃及文明率先发展,文明世界边缘的中国后来居上,但这一世界之外的美洲文明等在遭遇欧洲文明之前,就一直没有走上这一台阶。中国所处的文明边缘、相对隔绝却又一枝独秀的地位,也使得华夏文明得以长期连续,使得中国长期成为文明的输出者。它也许没有环地中海文明那么丰富,但是也有其独特的方面和领先的地方。在与环地中海文明深入交流的今天,我们既不要妄自菲薄,也不要妄自尊大,从更广的视野下考察不同文明的得失,在开放的条件下进行不流血的激烈竞争,这才能使中国乃至人类的文明继续发展下去。

A key condition for the development of civilization is the adequate exchanges among enough number of leisurely people.After humans developed agriculture that could sustain city life in the Neolithic age,four big inventions are needed for the next big step of transition:written language,bronze,the domestication of horse,and wheel.These inventions were first made or adopted in the Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt,the center of early civilizations.China,being on the edge of civilization,caught up with the center a few hundred years or more later.But the Americas and other human civilizations,being outside of the Eurasian network,never made the transition until they encountered the European civilizations.Being on the edge,isolated,and the sole leader in East Asia,the“world”to the Chinese,the Chinese civilization was able to maintain apparent long-lasting continuity,and was the exporter of civilizational achivements for almost four thousand years.It may not be as rich and diverse as the Pan-Mediterranean civilizations,but it has its unique features,some of which were leading the rest of the world.A fair evaluation of the merits and demerits of the developments of world civilizations needs to take the Chinese(and the Pan-Mediterranean)civilizations into account,and for humans to develop further,a fighting pluralism,an open,non-violent but fierce competition among different civilizations is needed.