三极世界文化差异(上)——筷子、手指和刀叉的视角

Chopsticks, Fingers, and Knives and Forks——An Analysis of World Cultural Differences from the Perspective of Tableware

筷子、手指和刀叉作为三种餐具,与思维方式有着互为因果的关系。它们各自具有不同的文化内涵,代表不同的思维方式。筷子文化圈属于陆地农业文化,是合一自然派,在思维方式方面,综合思维突出,注重人文精神和价值理性,重视人际关系,德治突出,是群体社会、宗族-宗法社会。手指文化圈属于山地沙漠文化,是亲证自然派,在思维方式方面,表现为辨证思维突出,重视宗教,注重教法,宗教精神和信仰理性突出,重视种姓家族,是种姓家族社会。刀叉文化圈属于分割自然派,是海洋工商文化,在思维方式方面,分析思维突出,科学精神和工具理性发达,重视个体,宣扬自由、民主、人权,是契约社会。从现在来看将来的文化发展,三派的单一发展都不利于整个人类。最终应该是东西方文化的融合,东方的综合思维方式、辨证思维方式和西方的分析的思维方式结合,即人文精神、宗教精神和科学精神的结合是最有前途的。

Such tableware as chopsticks, fingers and knives and forks have a cause-effect relationship with ways of thinking. The chopsticks culture belongs the culture of land agriculture, giving prominence to human relations and rule by integrity. The finger culture represents the culture of mountainous regions and desert, attaching importance to religion and beliefs. The knife and fork culture is the culture of the sea and business, advocating democracy, freedom and human rights. The best trend of development is to combine the three kinds of culture and the three ways of thinking they stand for, namely humanistic spirit, religions spirit and scientific spirit.