(Essential questions) Wang Xuedian: Why is it that the dialogue between civilizations is still the only way out for the human world to resolve disputes?
China News Service, Jinan, September 25th, title: Why is it said that dialogue between civilizations is still the only way out of disputes in the human world?
——Interview with Wang Xuedian, Vice President of the International Confucian Federation
Author Zhao Xiao Qiu Jiangbo
As the geopolitical conflict in the world is intensifying, Huntington’s “clash of civilizations” has become popular again in a few Western countries, causing many people in the world to fall into the inevitable fatalistic pessimism of civilization conflicts.
The 7th Nishan World Civilization Forum with the theme of “Civilization Dialogue and Global Cooperation” will open in Qufu, Shandong Province, the hometown of Confucius on the 27th. On the eve of the opening, Wang Xuedian, a well-known Chinese historian, member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, vice chairman of the International Confucian Federation, executive dean of the Advanced Institute of Confucian Studies of Shandong University and editor-in-chief of the magazine “Wang Xuedian” received an exclusive interview with China News Service.
Wang Xuedian believes that the clash of civilizations is a false proposition, a fabricated excuse to cover up geopolitical interests, and that conflict is not a feature of civilization. When a civilization faces different civilizations, there will always be wise men awakening the civilization’s own external regulatory power. In the face of geopolitical conflicts in the world today, dialogue and exchanges between different civilizations are still the only correct direction, and it is also the most effective way to eliminate differences, resolve contradictions, and resolve conflicts.
Data map: The opening scene of the 6th Nishan World Civilization Forum.Photo by Liang Ben
Geopolitical confrontation is not a clash of civilizations
Wang Xuedian believes that the development of equal dialogue among different civilizations in the world has always been the theme of the Nishan World Civilization Forum.
Served as the head of the academic group of the Nishan World Civilization Forum for 5 consecutive times, responsible for the academic themes of the forum and the topic setting of the sub-forums. Wang Xuedian recalled that when the Nishan Forum was founded, he tried to use dialogue to solve the long-standing existence of the human world. Disputes. When the second forum was held, the world was facing fierce conflicts. Forum issuers proposed to explore more wise attitudes and methods from ancient Eastern wisdom in order to eliminate these disputes and promote the world to achieve the goal of harmony. Today, the Nishan Forum has gone through ten years. Human civilization has been squeezed by geopolitical confrontation and the new crown epidemic. The dialogue between civilizations seems a little powerless, and some people even hold quite pessimistic judgments about the destiny of mankind.
“Some people even think that the world does not seem to be moving in the direction that people expect.” Wang Xuedian believes that this is not the fault of civilization, nor the fault of civilization dialogue.
As early as during the second Nishan World Civilization Forum in 2012, most scholars at the conference believed that the turbulence, conflicts, and wars in the world could not find any basis for civilization and ethics, but because of the incentives of interests and narrow understanding. Paranoia and the pursuit of extremism.
Although the voice of civilized dialogue is sometimes weak and does not have much intuitive restraint on the behavior of some countries and political organizations derived from geopolitical interests, scholars have always believed that as long as the civilized dialogue is adhered to, the inherent strength of civilization will eventually affect human behavior. Have a positive impact.
Wang Xuedian said frankly that at present, the global new crown epidemic is still spreading, and civilization dialogue and non-governmental exchanges cannot be carried out normally. Coupled with the enlargement of geopolitical wrestling intentionally or unintentionally, unprecedented misunderstandings and estrangements have emerged between the East and the West.
Some Western scholars and think tanks took the opportunity to hype Huntington’s “clash of civilizations” again, exaggerating the bloody conflicts and pessimistic fatalism between different civilizations in the world, leading many people to adopt a laissez-faire and passive attitude towards geopolitical conflicts.
In this regard, Wang Xuedian pointed out that Huntington’s argument is being re-hyped by Western academic circles at the moment. It is not helpful in resolving the contradictions and conflicts in the world today and the existing problems among civilizations, and may even trigger new contradictions and panic.
Wang Xuedian believes that the “clash of civilizations” is actually a false proposition. Looking back on world history, those major conflicts and wars are often triggered by conflicts in political and economic interests and ideological differences. They are dominated by hegemonism and extremism under the guise of civilized conflicts, not by civilization itself. The difference provoked.
“Clash of civilizations” itself also implies an arrogant sense of civilizational superiority. It puts the culture and civilization of one’s own country in the supreme position, and deliberately suppresses and excludes other countries that are inconsistent with their own values and civilization systems, and refuses to be civilized with other countries. coexist. This argument will inevitably lead to the future historical tragedy of human society and the tearing of value, and it will completely negate the possibility of resolving conflicts through dialogue and exchanges and peaceful negotiations.
In fact, mere differences in civilizations will not lead to conflicts. The vast majority of conflicts stem from geopolitical confrontations and competition for economic interests. The long history of human development has proved countless times that wars and political conflicts have brought huge disasters to human beings and civilizations. The best way to get along with different civilizations or different lifestyles is dialogue. This is the least costly way to solve the problem of how to get along with each other. . “The clash of civilizations is a dead end, and the dialogue and integration of civilizations is a sunny avenue.”
Wang Xuedian believes that dialogue is the right direction, but the premise is equality of civilizations and respect for diversity. Each civilization has its own strengths and weaknesses, which represent different wisdom directions for human beings to explore solutions to survival dilemmas. They are strongly complementary. It is necessary to defend the diversity of civilizations and carry out dialogues between diverse civilizations, instead of slandering them with arrogance and prejudice. And slander other civilizations. Learning from each other through dialogue is the best way for humans to solve their own problems.
Data map: Changzhou Chunqiu Yancheng, built in the late Spring and Autumn Period in ancient China, is the most complete surviving Chunqiu site.Photo by Yang Bo
Academia should make a rational voice and should not “dance” with geopolitics
The academic community should have a rational voice, maintain concentration and independent thinking, and pay more attention to the overall destiny of mankind and the fundamental interests of society. Don’t “dance” with short-term geopolitics. Wang Xuedian advocated that “calm and rational exchanges between the Eastern and Western academic circles are a feasible way to break the deadlock and resolve differences.”
Tracing back to Chinese history, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, there was also a conflict pattern. In the war situation, Confucius and Mencius thought about the overall direction of human life, more profound issues of thought and values, and led mankind towards peaceful coexistence with rational thinking. , The road to the future of harmonious coexistence. How to not be affected by geopolitics and shoulder the special mission of exploring and studying the law of human social development and future trajectory is a problem that needs to be faced squarely by the academic circles of the East and the West.
Face-to-face communication is equally important. Standing on the other side of the ocean, relying solely on video connections is not conducive to solving problems. In the case of geopolitical confrontation, the exchanges between the academic community and the private sector can still proceed normally, but the emergence and spread of the new crown epidemic has dealt a heavy blow to this free interaction. The obstruction of the epidemic has led to deepening of doubts and doubts in various countries, and a reduction in intimacy. Wang Xuedian emphasized that despite the “dark clouds” of civilized dialogue, we must seize all available opportunities and platforms to strengthen dialogue and communication, enhance understanding, and eliminate misunderstandings and prejudices.
The holding of international forums and conferences such as the Nishan Forum on World Civilizations can build bridges for equal dialogue, exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations around the world, advocate the maintenance of the diversity of world civilizations, and use the common wisdom of human civilizations to solve problems in the world today. Wang Xuedian said: “The rational voice in the dialogue between civilizations can calm the anxious and impetuous world.”
Data map: In 2020, tourists from all over the world will go to the Holy Land of Qufuni Mountain for sightseeing.Zhao Xiaoshe
Go beyond arrogance and prejudice and find common values
In recent years, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of speeches and opinions on a community with a shared future for mankind, China’s international discourse power, international communication, and “strive to create a credible, lovable, and respectable image of China” have been understood from the perspective of civilized dialogue, and it is also hope To achieve the goal of mutual respect, mutual learning and harmonious coexistence between different civilizations. Dialogue between civilizations and international communication have the same effect, and the core points are the same. Dialogue between civilizations is a two-way communication, disseminating values and ideas with unique Chinese characteristics to the outside world, and at the same time borrowing wisdom and nutrition from other civilizations.
The biggest difference between different civilizations is values. The core of the dialogue between civilizations is actually a dialogue of values. How to find a balance and common divisor among different values is the primary issue that should be considered in the dialogue between Eastern and Western civilizations. For example, in the civilized dialogue on human rights, some countries value the right to survival and the right to development, while others attach more importance to universal human rights. In the setting of dialogue issues, it is necessary to fully consider the intersection of these two different views.
Wang Xuedian cited the 2014 3rd Nishan Forum Minghu High-end Dialogue, advocating scholars from all over the world to transcend ideology and seek common values. For example, from the identification of the values of “love” and “goodness” in the Eastern and Western civilizations, different human civilizations can be found. Recognized common ethics. Common ethics can transcend barriers between multiple beliefs. In Wang Xuedian’s view, the dialogue of civilizations should return to the level of seeking common values and should not be swayed by actual interests. Only in this way can we rebuild the value orientation and standards that the entire human society can accept and follow.
“The common value of mankind ultimately constructed cannot be completely Western or Eastern. It must absorb the common characteristics of all major civilization systems in the world, and condense the commonalities of different countries, different nations, and different beliefs. It will form the basis of future global governance and cooperation.” Wang Xuedian said: “What academia can do is to find a common foundation for the sustainable development of human civilization, integrate the most eternal values of human civilization, and refine and construct A new civilization with universal significance and capable of carrying the common destiny of mankind.” (End)
About the interviewee:
Member of the Standing Committee of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, currently executive dean of Shandong University Advanced Institute of Confucianism and editor-in-chief of the magazine “Literature, History and Philosophy”, and vice president of the International Confucian Federation. He has long been committed to historical culture, historical theory and historical research, especially in China Research on modern and contemporary historical thoughts.
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