作为方法论的中国

The Methodological China

中国的连续性从无断裂,其关键之存在论理由是,中国是一个以"变在"(becoming)为方法论的文明,而不是一个固守其"存在"(being)本质的文明。以"变在"为方法论的存在并不划界以守自身同一性,也就不会拒绝本质变化,故能卷入一切异己而化为一体,所以中国才得以不断扩大。空间性的中国之所以能够长存而不被外力所解构,实得益于时间性的中国方法论,即自古以变而在的生长方式,所以万变反而不离其宗。中国初民选择了以变而在的方法论,就预示了中国之命运:在主动变化的得失与被动改变的磨难中不断生长。于是,中国形成了经史为一的精神世界:以史为经,史不绝则经可续;以经开史,经循道而史作实。因此说,中国存在之本在于其"变在"之方法论,或可称为作为方法论之中国。现代中国的生活、制度、思想和艺术都不同程度地分享着西方的当代性,大体上从属于西方之"今"的历史时态,大多数中国传统都已经基本上变成"古",唯有中国之存在方法论,或者作为方法的中国,一直保持属于中国自身之"今"的历史时态,中国也因此仍然是中国。

The key reason for China＇s never-broken continuous existence is that Chinese civilization complies with the ontological methodology of becoming rather than that of being. China with becoming methodology neither adheres to its identity by demarcation nor rejects change in its nature. As a result,it has changed the involved others to be compatible while been changed by the others to be new,so that China has been becoming resilient and robust. The Chinese ontological way of ＂being in becoming＂has foretold the fortune of China as a never deconstructed and enduring existence from its very beginning,therefore China has been being with active transformations as well as imposed changes,continuously becoming with ups and downs,gains and losses. So the essentiality of China must be understood as a methodology rather than a conceptual identity. Even though the picture of Chinese has been greatly westernized today,Chinese methodology of becoming,or the China as a methodology,always remains as it is. In other words,everything of China could be changed except its ontological way of being in becoming,and all changes of China would be thus made to be of Chineseness.