Greek philosophy is the source of western philosophy, and ancient Greece has a strong interest in nature. They care about the origin of the world, the relationship between subject and object, how things develop and change, and so on. Although their observation and practice under simple instruments lack logical coherence and the rational way is not systematic, people's direct observation is always filled with the color of rational thinking, and abstract thinking is the characteristic of western thinking. As a typical representative of the oriental nation, China's traditional way of thinking is characterized by intuition and experience. The various categories of China's ancient science and philosophy were obtained by inward thinking, and the concepts were put forward by brewing all kinds of experience and phenomena. The understanding of these concepts is different from the logical deduction of western outward thinking. Understanding can only be understood but difficult to express, such as the understanding of traditional Chinese medicine and Qigong, and the appreciation of a calligraphy work and a Chinese painting can only be understood inward to appreciate the ups and downs of the author's charm.
second, the detailed analysis of the west and the overall synthesis of China
the western cultural structure is superior to the detailed analysis, while the eastern cultural structure is good at the overall synthesis. For example, in the arrangement of surnames, China's surname comes first from the clan name and seniority, followed by his own name, and the clan as a whole stands out. Western countries put their own names first, then their fathers' names, and then their family names, with themselves being the most prominent. Another example is: in the order of writing and expression of time and address, people in China are used to taking year, month and day as the order from the largest to the smallest, while addresses are sorted by province, city and county to house numbers, highlighting the separation relationship from the whole to the individual, while westerners and China people express it in the opposite order, highlighting the synthesis relationship from the individual to the whole. It can be seen that in the spiritual culture and ideological structure of the Chinese nation, the comprehensive view from the whole occupies a prominent position, and this comprehensive view of the whole usually ignores the details and component analysis when examining things, and often provides a picture of the fuzzy whole of the object.
Second, the focus and persistence between China and the West in the relationship between man and nature are different
Professor Du Weimin believes that "the object of China culture is people". The relationship between people is the core concern of China culture. People are based on real life, so political ethics is quite developed. Western culture pays more attention to nature, and the relationship between man and nature is the central issue of ancient Greece, from which reason and technology are derived. China's philosophy is a philosophy of life regardless of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Confucianism seeks action, Taoism seeks longevity and Buddhism seeks enlightenment. Confucianism is based on Confucius' thought, and the core of Confucius' thought is "benevolence". What is "benevolence"? Confucius said, "The benevolent loves others!" It can be seen that it is the knowledge of how to be a man, and the interest lies in expounding a set of ethical relations between people, such as monarch, minister, father and son, and the purpose of self-cultivation is to realize one's ambition in politics-to rule the country and level the world. Pure scientific research and all natural sciences have become behaviors and interests that most people disdain to choose.
China culture also has its own persistence in the relationship between man and nature. An important feature of China culture is the "harmony between man and nature", which personifies nature, pursues the melting of human spirit in nature, and the harmonious state of breathing between man and nature. China's culture is deeply rooted in the earth, and China's culture attaches importance to agriculture from the beginning, which is why "among the four people, the scholar is the agriculture below" and "food is the sky for the people". Taoist thought is a masterpiece to make people miss life and seek comfort in nature.
Western ancient science lies in the exploration of nature, so Pythagoras and archimedes, some famous professional scientists, have appeared in the West for a long time. On the relationship between man and nature, western culture thinks that man and nature are in a state of antagonistic struggle, which leads to a different attitude towards nature from China culture, that is, man should conquer and control nature, emphasize the opposition between man and nature, and regard nature as a hostile force. Homer's epic is purely about overseas distress and conquering nature, and their games are all characters who have grown up in the storms of nature. West Renye Fang talks about the relationship between people, but the first concern is not ethics but competition, so the law of "survival of the fittest" appears.
Third, the differences between Chinese and Western values and life pursuit
The differences between Chinese and Western values and life pursuit are manifested at all levels of social life.
First, the values of life in China and the West are different
With the support of feudal autocracy, the values provided by Confucianism to China people have gradually turned into a deep-rooted belief in life. As a spiritual pillar of China culture for more than 2, years, this belief in life holds that the value of life lies in the worldly achievements. The more a person makes achievements in society, the more meaningful his life will be. In an authoritarian society, power is everything. Therefore, the greatest thing a person can do is to realize his ambition in politics. The grand ideal of governing the country and the world by the family rules the life of millions of China literati. Influenced by this unified life value, most people are unwilling to care about natural science, which leads to science being trapped in the bud. In addition, people's wisdom and talents are concentrated on political politics, creating a unique unpredictable and substantial and ultra-stable political and cultural model in the world. In this special mode, China's unique historical phenomenon has emerged: being an official is not successful, but seeking to be a saint; If you can't serve your country, you will retire as a hermit, or you will sing poetry and drink wine, so Taoism and Buddhism will rise. Those who are greedy for life will go to monasticism, and those who are tired of the world may wish to read Buddhism. However, in western culture, the value of life is diversified. Politics is also the realization of the value of life, and business is also considered to be quite valuable. The best occupation in the eyes of westerners is lawyer and doctor.
Second, the western individual standard and the Chinese family standard
Modern western humanism came into being in the theological background, and the concept of original sin was deeply rooted in the west. Therefore, the moral orientation of westerners is that individuals are responsible for themselves and atone for God through personal struggle, which leads to a Christian meaning, that is, "everyone is equal before God." When God was denied, the concept of social atom came into being in the west: the individual is an atom, which exists without relying on anyone, and no one can invade individual rights, and believes in individual standard and self-centeredness. This idea of personal standard has influenced all aspects of life. The boundaries between relatives are clearly defined. Young and old have dinner and pay separately, and they also respect children very much. When entering the children's room, we must first ask: "Can I come in?" Emphasize that children are proud of their struggle to live independently from their parents, and are willing to talk about their own opinions. China, on the other hand, is family-oriented. In the eyes of China people, home is the universe of life, a harbor of life, and it has supreme cohesion. Being away from home is a "wanderer", emphasizing that "parents are there and don't travel far". There is a relationship between the elderly and the husband and wife in the family. We should live in harmony and do our duty, that is, "do our best"! Mencius believed that saints are "people of human relations", and the core of human relations is "absolute obedience", with young children serving long and wives serving husbands. One of the reasons why family has become so important is "filial piety", "filial piety comes first in all the virtues", and "filial piety" is the foundation and quintessence of China. China has a culture of filial piety since ancient times, and it is said that filial piety governs the world. Family and filial piety originally had great rational significance, but due to excessive emphasis, they eventually became an excessive family consciousness, ignoring the development of individual freedom, "preserving justice and destroying human desires" and taking individuals as the purpose of life.
Third, the West stresses utility and timeliness, while the Chinese stresses ethics and morality
Due to the development of natural science, Western culture pays more attention to utility and effectiveness, and is good at calculating economic accounts. For example, in a big company, if each person saves a few seconds, it can save several people's time, hire fewer employees and reduce how much expenses. Another example is: when a person is writing, it is more time-saving to put the pen tip outward or inward, and how to put it in the most effective state.
China culture has been in a feudal agricultural society for a long time, and its natural science is underdeveloped, focusing on the adjustment of human relations. Ritual norms are above everything else, and the result of the debate between "righteousness" and "benefit" leads to the deviation of values. It is advocated that people should sacrifice their own interests in order to conform to certain etiquette norms, and "emphasizing righteousness over benefit" is regarded as high morality and noble character. What's more, during the "Cultural Revolution", "only the grass of socialism, not the seedlings of capitalism" was considered as a political account, not an economic account. Foreign China only considered political influence, regardless of economic benefits.