中西文化比较的若干理论陷阱

Some Theoretical Traps in the Sino-Western Cultural Comparison

流行的文化比较之背后,有四个思维陷阱:中西对立的思维模式,将中西文化差异夸大为对立;一言以蔽之的本质主义,使得中西文化比较之结论简单粗暴;强分中西的思维习惯,使得永远无法面对人类终极问题;民族主义情怀,使得文化比较蜕变为文化较量。这种文化比较,无论是对于人类智慧还是对中国之未来,都是在做减法,而不是在做加法。只有越过这几个思维陷阱,中西文化比较才会超脱中西家数,直面人类根本课题本身。

Behind the popular comparative culture studies there are four thinking traps： the antagonistic model of thinking between China and the West, which has so unreasonably exaggerated the differences between the Chi- nese and Western cultures that they are taken as complete opposites; the essentialism in a nutshell, which has led to simple and rude conclusions in Sino-Western cultural comparison; the arbitrary division between the Chinese and Western thinking habits, which has made us unable to face the ultimate questions of human beings ; and the nation- alism complex, which has degenerated culture comparison into cultural contests. This kind of cultural comparison is detrimental rather than beneficial to either human wisdom or the prospect of China. Only by going beyond the four thinking traps can the Sino-Western culture comparison be free of the grooves of the cultural contest and face up to fundamental human issues.