Social Sciences in China, 2024

Vol. 45, No. 1, 2024

Further Discussion of the Fundamental Differences between Chinese and Western Philosophy

(Abstract)

Wu Xiaoming

In the context of the problem of the “fundamental differences” between Chinese and Western philosophy, it is essential to investigate the basic system on which the entirety of Western philosophy operates and the unique way it has developed within this system, so that concrete observation can help deepen understanding. The observation involves the issues of what metaphysics is; “transcendence”; the fourfold distinction in the history of Western metaphysics; Christianity as Platonism; and the “Onto-Theo-Logik” mechanism in metaphysics. In a general sense, there can be no metaphysics where there is no division or opposition between the supersensuous and the sensory worlds. Where the “Onto-Theo-Logik” mechanism of Western metaphysics fails to work or has no chance of working, the field is one in which Chinese philosophy should make active moves and undertake development. The divisions arising from this context essentially mark the fundamental difference between Chinese and Western philosophy. When it comes down to it, it is these differences that determine the differences in the nature, structure, and direction of Chinese and Western philosophy.

Keywords: Chinese philosophy, Western philosophy, metaphysics, basic constitution