On December 16, the Symposium on the Construction of a Discourse System in Philosophy and Social Sciences took place in Beijing. Under the commission of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the symposium was organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). Luo Shugang, executive deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and CASS President Wang Weiguang attended and spoke at the meeting.

Constructing a discourse system for Chinese philosophy and the social sciences is an important strategic task, said Luo Shugang. In addition to emphasizing its significance for developing research and instruction of disciplines within the philosophy and the social sciences, Luo highlighted the importance of such a system for strengthening the international impact of the Chinese academia, and being able to effectively meet the demands of ideological and cultural competition in global discourse.

Foremost, constructing a discourse system must adhere to the guidance of contemporary Chinese Marxism, Luo iterated. Marxism and the latest achievements of Chinese Marxism are the most fundamental theoretical bases of Chinese philosophy and the social sciences, Luo elaborated, noting that they provide significant intellectual inspiration for the construction of the discourse system. Secondly, he said it must be rooted in the practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The Chinese Dream and its aspiration for national rejuvenation is the most vivid practice in contemporary China and constitutes a major innovation in the discourse system, Luo articulated.

Continuing, Luo added that it is necessary to learn from the essence of traditional Chinese culture, as it embodies the cultural roots of the Chinese people. It is representative of the Chinese people’s unique spiritual identity, Luo said, calling it our most profound source of soft power and an inexhaustible resource for enhancing the system’s construction. He also said that proper respect of Western discourse is also necessary. China needs to be open, inclusive and all-embracing, and learn from the constructive elements in Western discourse, Luo urged, while at the same time, staying conscious of its own needs as it employs Western discourse to extract the essence from the crude, discern the true from the false and dispel backwardness through science.

Calling for awareness of the overall situation facing the construction of a discourse system in philosophy and the social sciences, Wang Weiguang said that not withstanding the tremendous achievements of Chinese philosophy and social sciences in more than three decades since reform and opening up, the strength and competitiveness of discourse in these areas remains inadequate given the requirements of the CPC Central Committee, and is therefore not commensurate with China’s national power and international status.

With reform and opening up and China’s expanded exchange and engagement with international scholarship, Western academic theories and discourse have been introduced to China through various outlets and have even become mainstream and orthodox in certain disciplines and fields, Wang continued. Noting that Marxist theories, the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and China’s excellent traditions and thought have been greatly impacted and diminished, Wang expressed that many Chinese scholars within philosophy and the social sciences still lack advanced theoretical awareness and confidence, and remain incognizant of how they can facilitate innovation within the academic discourse system. As such, these scholars have not made more contribution to innovative research, and are far from capable of explaining Chinese theories, academia, and China’s path and experience using the Chinese discourse system, he said. Wang concluded that China still therefore has a long way to go in terms of sinicizing academic discourse and making Chinese discourse better established in the world under the guidance of Marxism.    

Wang urged Chinese scholars within philosophy and the social sciences to regard innovating the discourse system as a major and urgent undertaking. It is their responsibility and mission to interpret China’s practice and path through China’s theoretical and academic research and discourse system, to create new concepts, categories and expressions that are realistic, scientific, open and inclusive, and to forge an innovation system and discourse system with Chinese characteristics, style and grandeur that will also lay an important foundation for the prosperity of China’s philosophy and the social sciences. In innovating the philosophy and social science discourse system, Wang stressed that it is necessary to strengthen theoretical awareness of and confidence in Marxism, to focus on major realistic problems, and proceed in the correct direction of sinicization, catering to the needs of the times and the people.

CASS Vice Presidents Zhao Shengxuan, Li Jie, Zhang Jiang and Li Peilin were also in attendance at the symposium, as well as,Zhang Yingwei, head of the Discipline Inspection Group from the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection based in CASS, Gao Xiang, secretary-general of CASS, Li Weihong, deputy minister of education, and Zhang Boli, vice president of the Party School of the Central Committee of CPC.  Li Peilin chaired the symposium.

Discussing how to construct the discourse system for philosophy and the social sciences, Li Jie noted that in addition to adhering to the guidance of Marxism, it is necessary to prioritize China’s path, Chinese theories, institutions and experiences, and the Chinese Dream, to inherit and spread the essence of Chinese culture, and to learn and draw lessons from international experience and cultures.

Zhang Boli maintained that an important facet of constructing the discourse system is grasping the relations between academic discourse, political discourse and mass discourse. Social scientists should not only be able to carry out professional conversation with their counterparts within academia, but also to use fresh, simple and vivid language to communicate with, encourage and serve the public, Zhang said. He further urged social scientists to stick to pragmatic and realistic discourse so that theories within philosophy and the social sciences can enable Chinese academia wholly to fulfill the functions of a think tank. 

The Ministry of Education is committed to promoting theoretical and methodological innovation in philosophy and the social sciences, Li Weihong said. The ministry will help promote the construction of a discipline system within philosophy and social sciences, the creation and compilation of instruction materials and their dissemination, and the superiority of China’s institutes of higher education.

Deng Zhimei is a reporter from the Chinese Social Sciences Today.

Translated by Jiang Hong,

Revised by Charles Horne

The Chinese version appeared in the Chinese Social Sciences Today on Dec.18, No. 538.