Chapter 22 Harmonization of Eastern and Western Cultures

Ai: Actually, I know that you may feel that this question is not well asked, but your book has already answered it.Since you may also have changed your mind, I am asking today anyway.Do you think it is possible for China to contribute to the harmony and harmony of the two cultures of the East and the West? Liang: In fact, we are already heading in this direction.Especially in China, we have to absorb foreign science and culture, so we have already moved in this direction.Has the West been influenced by China?I dare not say it.It is clear that China has been influenced by the West. Ai: You said before that one day, one day, human culture, the people of the West, will turn back to the Chinese or Confucian way.

Liang: This means that we will arrive at the time of socialism, after capitalism.Capitalism, in my opinion, is slowly becoming a thing of the past, that is, socialism is coming.The difference between socialism and capitalism, in my opinion, is that one is individual-based and the other is social-based.Capitalism is "personal standard, self-centered" and self-centered.The social standard cannot be said to be self-centered, but to respect each other. Ai: I still have two questions: Will the current socialist countries be society-based?Is this the case?The socialist countries in Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, Cuba, Vietnam, and Cambodia, especially Cambodia, kill people like hemp, so how can it be said that they respect each other?

Liang: Of course not.In the Soviet Union, in this place of Russia, the Communist Party and communism appeared. In my opinion, it is also a perversion, and it did not develop naturally according to society, because the Soviet Union did not go through the road of capitalism much, and it did not walk much. It did not have much under the tsar. Capitalism has changed all of a sudden.So, it's not taking capitalism to the end and then turning to socialism, it's not like that. Ai: Yes.I see what you mean.The same is true for Eastern European countries, Cuba, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Liang: In Russia, it still changed from the tsarist dictatorship to the Communist dictatorship.If the communist dictatorship is led under Lenin, it will probably be very good.But Lenin died very early, so the old traditions and habits are still the things that came down from the tsar, and they are very powerful.Stalin’s situation after Lenin’s death, especially Brezhnev’s now, is not a normal situation. It is still a kind of dictatorship that followed the old path of the tsar; People, they have not enjoyed freedom and democracy like the countries in Western Europe, nor have they enjoyed a well-developed industry, a rich society, and people's enjoyment.So today's young people, when they see Western Europeans enjoying themselves, they are very envious.The current Soviet Union, from Khrushchev to Brezhnev, is not a kind of socialism, in my opinion, it is a kind of abnormality, and this abnormality is in line with its history, in line with the history of Russia of.This kind of abnormality will not go down in such a stable way. I think it is abnormal, not normal, so it may have to reverse its case.I think looking at it this way, it may be necessary to reverse the verdict.The dictatorship of the party like Brezhnev and the others may not be sustainable for a long time, and there will be changes. I think this kind of rule may not be able to be maintained. If the opportunity comes, It wants to change, it won't be able to sustain itself well, it has no strength to keep it going, it needs to change.I see it that way.It will not be like China, where there are no major changes.

Ai: The second question, in terms of the history so far, the history of advanced industrial countries, Marx was all wrong. He originally predicted that the proletariat would increase and the capitalists would decrease, and revolution would break out as a result.But in places like Japan, Germany, the United States, and Canada, there is no such phenomenon. There are several classes that I did not expect before. There are more and more white-collar workers in industry, and more and more jobs in the service industry There are more and more capitalists, and capitalists are not as clear, straightforward, and clear as Marx said, so, since he is wrong, the development of history in the 21st century may not be certain...

Liang: He didn't expect that his estimates and opinions were different from what he had expected.In the current situation, they talk about the so-called "economic base and superstructure". Now I see that, like the superstructure in the United States, it is very powerful. The current superstructure is not only a matter of power, it is also an issue of academic culture. Wealth and power are all connected, and it seems that it is not easy to overthrow. Ai: This involves another issue, that is, the popular culture of the United States is welcomed by the people and the masses everywhere. This is the case in Eastern Europe, even in the Soviet Union. This is the case in Western Europe, and it is also the case in many places in Asia. This is also the case, influenced by American culture.It cannot be said that some countries have no influence of imperialism at all, and Eastern Europe has no political or economic power at all. However, the popular culture developed by the United States, in my opinion, has influence everywhere. why?Even clothing, people from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, American-style mirrors, jeans, etc. Why is this?How did this phenomenon come about?

Liang: The United States is indeed advanced in many places and aspects, and other countries have to learn from it. Ai: Is there any difference between the advanced and the backward in the products of this culture?What kind of technology is measured by the relatively objective requirements of technology, it can still be regarded as... Liang: I said that culture includes technology. Ai: Yes.Cultural products, such as TV programs, are a good example. What the United States does, many countries also broadcast American TV programs, but how can it be said that American TV programs and popular cultural products are advanced?Because culture has two meanings. Culture in a narrower sense is not culture in a broad sense. How can it be said that there is progress and backwardness?Now in Japan, many Japanese people are still watching American TV programs broadcast on Japanese TV stations.Why don't they watch Japan's own?That is to say, this phenomenon has a great influence on American culture. Why?It is because the United States is very advanced in terms of industry, so people in other countries think..., in my own opinion, it seems to be a fashion, a fashion worldwide, including many clothes, cosmetics, makeup looks, Books, magazines, TV programs, movies, all these so-called popular cultural products, I just want to ask, how do you think this phenomenon——the influence of American popular culture came about?How did this phenomenon come about?Why did the influence of American culture happen?

Liang: I don't know if my answer is correct. (Ai: No, right?) Did I answer what you asked? (Ai: Oh, yes.) My previous view was that the United States is indeed more advanced than other countries in terms of science and technology. For example, the Soviet Union cannot catch up.West Germany and Japan have many brilliant ideas, and China now wants to absorb and supplement them in this regard. Ai: Could you please talk about what you have learned and what you have never learned in your life? Liang: All learning is actually not just a kind of tradition, not just learning from others.All learning is creative and has its own side, not just learning from others.But it’s not the same. Some people create less by themselves and learn more. There is a Chinese saying called “drawing a gourd according to the same pattern”—drawing a gourd according to the pattern. There are many such people.But as far as I am concerned, I am not such a person, I am more creative than learning.Although there is learning in all creation, it is just a comparative difference. Some people learn from others, but they create a lot in learning.That's how I am.It seems that all I get from the outside are some materials. When the materials are in my hands, I use and create them.I am a relatively creative person.

Let’s talk about Chinese learning, Chinese learning, Chinese culture, I am very poor in terms of foundation, I have already said that I did not study ancient books, but the good and essence of Chinese ancient books helped me a lot, and I Still able to understand.For example, Confucius, the greatest scholar in China, I think I know more about Confucius than Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi.I often say this to people. Let me give you an example. Confucius didn’t say to himself: “When I was five years old, I was determined to learn; But do what you want, and don’t overstep the rules." Zhu Zi talked about every stage, for example, the one that is very difficult to talk about is "Ear Shun"—one "Ear" and one "Shun"—what is "Ear Shun"? ?He just talked about it, and he used a sentence: "Sound enters the heart" - the sound enters, and the heart opens.I don't agree.In my opinion, not only is it difficult for us to understand the "sound of ears", but it is also difficult for us to understand each stage, so don't make wild guesses, don't guess. "Fifth out of ten is dedicated to learning", it seems to be easier to understand, "establishment at thirty", what does "establishment" mean? "Forty without confusion", "no confusion" is not confused about what? "Fifty knows the destiny", so what is the destiny? "Ear Shun", what is Er Shun?I thought that when Confucius was forty, he didn't know the progress he had made when he was fifty.He doesn't know, how do we others know?Others don't know, so don't tell if you don't know, don't tell, so I don't agree with Zhu Zi's talk.Therefore, we dare not talk or guess about these things. If we know it, we know it, and if we don’t know it, we don’t know it.We should admit that we don't know.Admitting that we don’t know is one aspect, but there is another aspect that we know. What do we know?Knowing that he didn’t talk about other things, he didn’t talk about knowledge of the natural world, nor did he talk about social science, nor did he talk about politics or economics.What he talked about was his own life, his own life and life, and he didn't talk about it outside, because his own knowledge is a kind of knowledge like this: it is the study of life and life, not other knowledge.So his best apprentice, isn't Yan Yuan?Yan Hui?Yan Yuan Yanhui...