Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.2, 2021

Rational Presupposition, Normativity and Pluralist Expression: A Cross-Cultural Perspective on the Universality of Philosophy

(Abstract)

Cheng Lesong

The question of the universality of philosophy is highlighted when seen from a cross-cultural perspective, for it reveals the tension between particularity and universality, as well as the connotations of the universality of philosophy. In terms of philosophical activities having the content of Chinese life experience, the universality of philosophy, the particularity of Chinese thought, and the uniqueness of Chinese expression together constitute a persistent theoretical tension. We distinguish the universality of philosophy from universal philosophy; the former stems from the universal presupposition of rational ability and points to the richness and diversity of the empirical world and maintains a dynamic balance between universality and pluralism in the normative attitude of discourse practice and conceptual activity. From the perspective of cultural subjectivity, it is necessary to avoid misleading views that equate the universality of philosophy with Western philosophy; besides, normativity cannot be understood as specific censorship rules. The universality of philosophy requires a sense of boundaries and a normative attitude that will ensure that people from different contexts can have dialogue on the basis of rational ability and construct a space for dialogue and understanding. The concern for diverse objects based on the richness of experience gives philosophical concepts and arguments pluralist differences that encompass cultural differences and autonomy in terms of level of expression. All in all, it is only on the basis of the universality of philosophy that we can understand the normative requirements of philosophical activities and the diversity of cross-cultural philosophical reflection.