Chapter 7 Appendix Answers to Readers

Question: Global civilization is divided into three worlds. Has this been said before? Answer: There has never been, but there is a saying of "three worlds".In fact, before the ideal of world harmony is realized, division of the world is always inevitable. In the era of "West-centrism", the world is divided into "Western world" and "Non-Western world".During the Cold War, it was divided into "two camps": the socialist camp headed by the Soviet Union, and the capitalist camp headed by the United States.This is divided according to ideology and state system. On the afternoon of February 22, 1974, when Chairman Mao Zedong met with President Kaunda of the Republic of Zambia, he formally proposed the theory of dividing the "three worlds".Mao Zedong said, I think the United States and the Soviet Union are the first world; centrist Japan, Europe, and Canada are the second world; we are the third world.The third world has a large population.Asia, except Japan, is the third world.The whole of Africa is the third world, and Latin America is the third world.This is based on economic level and comprehensive national strength.The rule of thirds is inherently better than the rule of two.It is much better to divide according to economic level and comprehensive national strength than according to ideology and national system.However, in terms of economic level and comprehensive national strength, we are the third world; in terms of the soft power of civilization, we are the first world.

Question: Is there any basis for your statement? Answer: Yes.First of all, I have standards, which are: 1. Population; 2. Area; 3. Influence; 4. Popularity; and function.Moreover, I also have data: the circle of Western modern civilization, including the 28 member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as well as Switzerland, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, etc., has a total population of one billion; the circle of Islamic civilization, including the fifty-seven countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference Member states, with a total population of 1.4 billion; Chinese civilization, with a total population of 1.4 billion; Slavic civilization circle, including Russia, Belarus, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia and other countries, with a total population of 340 million; India , with a population of one billion; black Africans, with a total population of 600 million; Latin America, with a total population of 600 million; Japan, with a population of 120 million.Obviously, by population, the top four are Islamic, Chinese, Western, and Indian.But adding indicators such as area, influence, and popularity, I came to my conclusion: the first world is the West, Islam, and Greater China, and the second world is comprehensively ranked as Slavic, Indian, African, Japanese, Latin American, and Jewish.

Q: Will this conclusion be accepted? Answer: No.The division of civilizations has always been a controversial topic.There is no consensus on how many civilizations there are in the world and in history.Toynbee's "Historical Studies" mentioned twenty-six, among which the "first-generation civilizations" that emerged directly from primitive society include Egypt, Sumer, Minos, ancient China, Andes, and Maya.Derived from this is called "kinship civilization" or "child civilization", including Hittite, Babylon, ancient India, Greece, Iran, Syria, Arabia, China, India, Korea, the West, and Byzantium.There are also five who died and stagnated, namely Polynesia, Eskimo, Nomad, Sparta and Ottoman.Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations and the Reconstruction of World Order" believes that the most important civilizations in the world today are the West, China, Japan, India, Islam, Orthodox Church, Latin America and "possible Africa", known as the seven or eight civilizations.The Center for Comparative Study of World Civilizations of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences proposed twelve civilization systems: China, Western Europe, the United States, Slavs, Islam, Judaism, Latin America, West Asia and North Africa, African blacks, Japan, India, and Canada.As for "Buddhist civilization", there is controversy.Some scholars believe that there is only "Buddhist culture" and no "Buddhist civilization".

Question: You use different colors to represent different civilizations and civilization circles. Is there a theory? Answer: Black represents Africa, which seems self-explanatory.Light blue, which represents Judaism, is also not a problem, because that is the color of the Israeli flag.Mongolia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, etc. are all Buddhist countries, so they are represented by ocher yellow.The characteristics of Slavic civilization are Slavic plus Orthodox Church; Latin America is the Maya, Aztec, Inca and other native civilizations plus Catholicism.The Japanese flag is red and white, and after neutralization, it becomes pink.This is also the color of cherry blossoms, but it turns blue in modern times.These three civilizations have red and blue, so they are all purple.The difference is that Slavic is more red, it is red-purple; Latin America is more blue, it is blue-purple; Japan is more pink, it is pink-purple.As for Indian civilization, it can only be brown, because it does not match the blue of the West, the green of Islam, the yellow of China, the black of Africa, and the purple of Japan, Latin America, and Slavs, but it is not gray either.

Question: You have a historical chronology in your article, and you also talked about the stages of civilization. Can you expand on that? Answer: Yes.Western academic circles generally divide human civilization into three stages: ancient civilization, classical civilization and modern civilization.Marked by the establishment of the state, the occurrence time of the six ancient civilizations is approximately: Sumer and Egypt, 3500 BC; Harappa (Indus), 2500 BC; Crete, 2000 BC; Ermec, 1800 BC; Zhonghua, 1700 BC.Classical civilizations occurred in: India, 1000 BC; Maya, 1000 BC; Greece, 700 BC; Persia, 550 BC; Rome, 500 BC; Byzantium, 324 AD; Japan, 4th century AD; Arabia, 622 AD; Russia, around 880 AD.Therefore, this book refers to Mesopotamia and Egypt as "precursors", Harappa, Crete and Olmec as "contemporaries", India, Maya, Greece, and Rome as "latecomers", Byzantium, Japan, Arabia and Russia are "young people".

Question: Why should the establishment of a country be regarded as a symbol of civilization? Answer: The symbol of civilization is the country, and the symbol of the country is the city. This is the consensus of the international academic circles.Some scholars do not recognize Xia Wenming, because it is controversial whether the Erlitou site is a city.As for why the establishment of countries and cities should be used as the standard to distinguish the prehistoric era from the civilized era, I have a detailed discussion in the second volume of Chinese history, "The State", please refer to it.In this volume, I have explained the truth thoroughly.

Question: What is the basis for the 3,700-year history of Chinese civilization?Don't they usually say "up and down five thousand years"? Answer: Five thousand years is culture; three thousand seven hundred years is civilization.According to the latest carbon-14 measurements, the upper limit of the Erlitou Culture Phase I dated no earlier than 1750 BC, so it is 3,700 years old.The 5,000-year history of civilization is unscientific and imprecise, and needs to be changed. Question: Chinese civilization is 3,700 years old, Islamic civilization is 1,400 years old, and Western modern civilization is 660 years old. Why are they called "three ages"?

Answer: Three thousand seven hundred years and one thousand four hundred years are the time of existence, not the time of glory, let alone the time with the most worldwide influence.The so-called "whose era" refers to who had the greatest influence and the strongest globalization at that time.In terms of brilliance, the Zhou civilization was 800 years, the Han civilization was 400 years, the Tang civilization was 300 years, and the Song civilization was 300 years, adding up to 1,800 years.But it is the Han and Tang Dynasties that affect the world.Moreover, after the middle Tang Dynasty, Islamic civilization rose, while Chinese civilization began to decline.

Question: Is the era of Islam after Chinese civilization? A: You can say that.However, the glory of the three major civilizations overlaps.When the Islamic civilization crescent rose, the Chinese civilization was not fading away; when the European Renaissance began, Islam was still in the midst of the sky and the moon was bright.But after the mid-Tang Dynasty, China moved inward, and Islam moved outward, and the European continent was still in the wild and ignorant. Of course, it was the era of Islam. Question: After that is the era of Western modern civilization? Answer: Yes.Consider the following list: Molière, Locke, Spinoza, Newton, Bach, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Kant, Haydn, Goethe, Mozart, Schiller, Hegel, Beethoven, Owen , Byron, Shelley, Heine, Schubert, Balzac, Hugo, Feuerbach, Andersen, Dickens, Wagner, Marx, Engels.These great figures all appeared after the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty in China and before the Opium War.Before the Opium War, the last thinkers in China were Huang Zongxi, Gu Yanwu, and Wang Fuzhi.The so-called "Heyday of Kangxi and Qianlong" is actually lackluster.The Islamic world at that time did not contribute much, did it?

Question: Will the Chinese and Islamic civilizations perish? Answer: No.Both China and Islam are declining but not dying.However, both China and Islamic countries should "open their eyes to see the world", and even "face the bleak life", so that they can strive to catch up with self-improvement.In fact, after the Opium War, the Revolution of 1911, and the May 4th Movement, China's ideological circles became active again.Because on the one hand, China is facing "great changes unseen in three thousand years", and there are too many problems to be solved; on the other hand, the Qing Dynasty and the Beiyang government are completely unable to suppress thoughts and control public opinion.We are a wise people.As long as the mind is liberated and speech is free, it will be able to recreate its glory.So I am full of confidence in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Q: Is your evaluation of the "Centennial Translation Movement" objective? A: This is actually a public opinion.The late former U.S. President Nixon said in "Seizing the Opportunity": When Europe was still in the state of ignorance in the Middle Ages, Islamic civilization was experiencing its golden age.Critical advances in almost every field were made by Muslims during this period.When the great men of the European Renaissance pushed forward the boundaries of knowledge, they could see farther because they stood on the shoulders of the giants of the Islamic world.Hehe, I almost copied Nixon.Due to style limitations, I cannot add annotations to the text.Here is an explanation to avoid plagiarism. Question: Is Islamic civilization able to spread to the world because it emphasizes both special kindness and universal kindness? Answer: Another important reason is that the procedures for conversion are extremely simple.Anyone can become a Muslim as long as he sincerely recites the "Shahadah" and "Testimony".The content of Shahaha is: there is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of the Lord.The content of the testimony is: I testify that there is no god, only Allah, and that Allah is the only one beyond doubt; I also testify that Muhammad is the servant and messenger of Allah.If you want to convert to Islam, you just need to recite it once with all your heart.But this is not a technical issue, but a manifestation of the Islamic spirit.Because according to Islamic teachings, man was created by Allah.The relationship between Allah and people is like a mother and her children.The mother loves the child, and the child loves the mother. Do you still need to write an application, type a report, and go through the formalities? Q: Then why bother to recite the Shahadah and testify? A: Love needs to be spoken, and so does faith.Even if you are in love, you have to say "I love you", right? Q: Is it true that Allah does not love the transgressor, nor does He love to kill? Answer: Yes.Volume 2 of 190 makes it very clear: You should resist those who attack you in the way of God, and you should not go too far, because God will not love those who go too far.This is also proved by historical facts.In 1187 AD, Saladin, the founder of the Ayyubid Dynasty, who ruled the whole of Egypt, northern Iraq today, most of Syria and Yemen, attacked the most powerful Kingdom of Jerusalem among the Crusaders. On September 2, Jerusalem surrendered and Saladin entered the city.In stark contrast to the killings of the Crusaders eighty-eight years ago, Saladin did not kill a single person or burn a house, but the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the headquarters of the Knights Templar, was changed to a cathedral The Rock Mosque, restored as a mosque.It was suggested that the Cathedral of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem be demolished, but Saladin did not agree.Instead, he opened Jerusalem's holy sites to all religions. Question: Is the Islamic spirit you mentioned reliable? Answer: There are many examples.He said, "Those who are persecuted by famine and have no intention of sinning, even though they eat forbidden things, are not guilty, because Allah is indeed Forgiving and Merciful."For another example, the gift given to the woman cannot be taken back even if she divorces, and should be reserved for the woman's living expenses and pension.For another example, due to the scarcity of men during the war years, Islamic countries have a system or custom of polygamy.However, a husband must treat each wife fairly.Including the number of intercourse, it must be exactly the same, unless a wife voluntarily surrenders her rights.This is much better than the "monogamy and multiple concubines" system in ancient China. Question: You say that human rights, rule of law, democracy, republic, and constitutionalism are not values, but some people in the West also say that. How do you explain it? A: That is their own confusion.Do you think that Western academic circles understand it well? Q: Is the concept of universality a unique product of Western civilization? Answer: Yes.It comes from what was called "white man's responsibility" in the 19th century.But to say that it is "justifying imperialism, colonialism, and aggression and expansion" is bluffing.I made it very clear in the article that the so-called universal sentiment is actually shared by all people.The difference lies only in: first, whether it is more or less; second, whether it is conscious or not; third, whether it uses universal concepts explicitly.The characteristic of our nation is that we have universal feelings and no universalism.Feelings are good, doctrine is bad.Once universalism becomes universalism, it will inevitably be imposed on others. Question: What is the reason why feelings have turned into doctrines? Answer: Religious.Strictly speaking, all religions tend to be more or less universal.Buddhism, for example, advocates "delivering all sentient beings".This tendency of monotheism is even stronger.Because since there is only one Creator, then all people and all things are created by this God.Moreover, regardless of whether the only true God or Allah is called Yahvey, Yahweh or Allah, as the Creator, he is full of love for his creations.In order to make the people he created live better, the Creator must enlighten.The enlightenment of the Creator is called "Apocalypse".The religion thus created is called "revelation religion".The one who received the apocalypse directly is the "prophet"; the one sent to save the world is "Jesus".Jesus is Hebrew, meaning "Jehovah's salvation".But no matter the prophet or Jesus, even their disciples, they all have a sacred mission - to spread the love of the only true God or Allah to the world and everyone.Universalism came into being. Q: According to you, universalism is not exclusive to the West? Answer: Of course.However, other religions do not necessarily say the same.What's more, even if they are both monotheistic religions, there are still differences.Judaism talks about election, but it cannot talk about universality.Islam talks about both universal kindness and special kindness, and its universality is not so strong.Christianity believes that everyone is guilty before God and everyone is equal before God.This doesn't even have the distinction between Puci and Teci, let alone special selection and elimination.Therefore, the number of Christians is the largest, with one billion Protestants, one billion Catholics, and 100 million Orthodox Christians, a total of 2.1 billion.This is not without reason.It is not without reason that Christianity considers itself Oecumenical. Q: Is this why Westerners advocate universalism? A: Another reason is that they succeeded.Successful people have the right to speak and also have a sense of mission.It's scary.It’s not that the sense of mission must be bad, it depends on what mission it is.If it is said that we want to transform others into ourselves, it is no less than terrorism.What a great civilization should do is to build an open platform for the peaceful coexistence and equal dialogue of multiple cultures. Q: Isn't that the mission? A: Mission?Whose envoy?Whose fate?I don't like this word.I also don't like faith.You can believe it, why should you believe it?I also don't like Enlightenment.Who is deceived?Who will start?Nobody is stupider than anyone else, and no one is smarter than anyone else.To talk about enlightenment, there is only apocalypse.This becomes faith.As a result, the word "sacred" was added in front of the mission.So may I ask, you are the only one who has direct access to God, and you are the only one who is awesome?So instead of "mission", I say "position".I also don't like "universal values", I say "common values". Q: Are there common values ​​in the world? Answer: Yes.For example, all nations in the world invent prisons to restrict the personal freedom of criminals, which shows that freedom is the common value of human beings.But on this issue, Eastern and Western views are different.Eastern countries generally regard deprivation of liberty as a punishment for criminals, while Western jurists regard it as respect for criminals' free will.They believe that freedom is choice and choice is responsibility.Since you "freely" chose to commit a crime, it also means that you "freely" chose to go to jail.To respect your free will, you must be put in prison.But in any case, it means that freedom is the common value of all human beings. Question: Does our nation also recognize common values? Answer: Admit it.For example, the hearts of compassion, shame, respect, and right and wrong that "everyone has" are the "common human nature" that Mencius believes.The benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom deduced from this are the "common values" advocated by Mencius.However, Mencius did not use the term "common value".The benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom he advocated are not necessarily the common values ​​of all human beings. Q: What are the common values ​​of all mankind? Answer: Independence, liberty, equality. Q: Is that so? Answer: Yes.Please refer to the second volume "Nation" of "Yi Zhongtian's History of China". Q: Is it the same for our nation? Answer: Of course.You should be familiar with a line of lyrics: We are hardworking, we are brave, and independence and freedom are our ideals.In fact, our nation has long pursued independence, freedom, and equality.For example, Taoism advocates freedom very much, and Zhuangzi calls it "Xiaoyaoyou".Mohism, Taoism, and Legalism all stress equality.The difference is that Mohists say everyone is equal before opportunity, Taoism says everyone is equal before the way of heaven, and Legalism says everyone is equal before the law.Of course, there is a problem with legalism's equality, which will be discussed later.Although Confucianism does not emphasize equality, it emphasizes reciprocity. For example, Confucius said that "the emperor treats the minister with courtesy, and the minister treats the emperor with loyalty", and Mencius said that "the emperor treats his ministers like grass, and the ministers treat him like a bandit."Why talk about equality?Because all people are born equal, it is the common value of all mankind, and it is something deep in the bones.But Confucianism also insists on ethics and feudal ethics, so it has no choice but to bargain, not equality but reciprocity. Question: So, has our nation's pursuit of independence, freedom, and equality been realized? Answer: Relatively, partially and gradually.Generally speaking, from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period, people advocated and advocated independence, freedom and equality.Because the feudal system of the Western Zhou Dynasty was a kind of "decentralization system", from the emperor to the princes, there was no centralization of power.At least in the aristocratic class, they are relatively independent, relatively free, hierarchical but not strict.After the Qin and Han Dynasties, when power was centralized, things got worse.However, during the Han and Tang Dynasties, centralization and individual freedom found a balance, so Chinese civilization reached its peak.The Ming and Qing dynasties changed from centralization to dictatorship, and from dictatorship to dictatorship. Things went from bad to worse, and finally the Revolution of 1911 broke out.The whole process is full of tangled, very interesting. Q: Why is this happening? Answer: Hehe!After reading the thirty-six volumes of "Yi Zhongtian's Chinese History", it will be clear. Question: You say that faith is "an unshakable belief in a supernatural, supernatural existence." Why do you have to define it so strictly? Answer: Because only the belief on the other side is truly transcendent.Otherwise, there is only belief on this shore.Faith is of course also very good, even very good.But even the best beliefs are realistic.If it cannot be fulfilled, it will be "broken" over time.Once you lose faith, no one will believe you.Political and moral "beliefs" always face a crisis of credibility, or even bankruptcy, and this is the reason. Question: Is there no such trouble for religious belief? Answer: No.Religion just gives you a ticket to heaven.How to go and whether to go or not are all up to you.When we arrived in heaven, no one came back to tell us what it was like there.Therefore, religion does not have to be fulfilled, nor can it be fulfilled.Terrorism and some religious extremists want to turn religious belief into politics and morality, and turn the afterlife into this world.How it turned out is well known. Q: So you are against political and moral beliefs? Answer: No!Unless political beliefs are based on moral beliefs, and moral beliefs are based on beliefs on the other side.But it's hard.Whether it exists in the world is hard to say.At least here, not yet.My proposition is that politics is about ideals, morality is about pursuit, and religion is about belief.Religion believes in God, while politics and morality believe in people.God can't make mistakes, but people can't be perfect.Facts have proved that building a paradise on earth will cause disasters.Talking about beliefs and creeds as beliefs is only asking for trouble. Q: Do we need to build religion? Answer: No need.People with faith may not avoid doing bad things; people without faith may not avoid doing good things either.Westerners have faith, but still wage war; the Han people have no faith, but love peace as well.Faith and morality do not constitute a causal relationship.Without faith, we can still live without the sky falling down.Why do we have to have something that has not been available for three thousand years? Question: According to you, is belief optional? Answer: Yes.Of course, faith has its benefits.For example, it is more convenient to manage society and maintain order.People with beliefs are generally more obedient and easy to discuss, because you can use his beliefs as an example.There may even be riots or turmoil, saying "the Lord let everyone go home", and maybe they will disperse.However, it's just not sure.Besides, everything has two sides.Faith also has trouble with faith, like fighting for it.Historically, there have been many religious wars, and everyone called them "holy wars."Since it is a "jihad" and the "infidels" and "devils" are being fought, they can kill without any scruples.This is what is bad about faith.On the contrary, we Chinese, because we have no faith, have not made such mistakes, and we should not belittle ourselves because of this. Question: In this case, why do people value faith so much? Answer: One of the positive effects of belief is that it can elevate one's realm.Because you are looking up to God and moving towards your ideal.Therefore, true belief must have a realm, such as world harmony, such as saving all living beings, such as "being with God", such as "becoming a person who is pleasing to Allah".However, realm is only the highest level of morality.No realm does not mean no morality.For example, if my state is not high enough to be self-sacrificing for others, it doesn't necessarily mean that I will benefit myself at the expense of others!Besides, in this world, there are really realms, how many?Most of them are ordinary people.For them, the realm is actually a barrier.But, without this pursuit, would you not be a human being?Still do it, do it!It can be seen that the realm is not a "necessity" but a "luxury", and the same is true for faith. Question: Is it better to have faith than to have no faith? Answer: There is a bottle of wine for dinner, how about some?Really not, why don't you eat this meal?If you meet someone who doesn't drink, you have more.If you meet someone who is drunk and crazy, he will do bad things.Chinese people who have no faith are those who don’t drink alcohol; those who launch “Jihad” are drunk crazy; religious fanatics are alcoholics; those who believe in cults are those who drink fake wine and drink drugs or industrial alcohol as wine ; If you have beliefs, you cannot allow others not to, or use one belief to criticize another, that is drunk driving. During the "Cultural Revolution", mistaking doctrine for belief was a collective drunken madness. Question: Why do so many people have faith? A: Why do so many people drink alcohol?Drinking is to enter the state, and belief is to improve the state.There are other ways to enter the state and improve the state, such as drinking tea.Of course, tea and wine are not the same thing.But you cannot say that the state of tea is not the state.In the same way, you cannot say that the realm is only when the faith is improved.Realm, there are various ways to achieve it. Q: For example? A: Like Zen Buddhism.Zen is called Buddhism, but it is actually philosophy.What it advocates is not "faith", but "consciousness".Faith is about the object (what to believe in), enlightenment is about the self (self-awareness).But instead of "believing in yourself", it's "discovering yourself".Therefore, Zen Buddhism is anti-faith, but it has a realm.It can be seen that no belief does not mean no realm.Faith is only one of the ways to achieve the realm, not the only one.Moreover, it only provides the possibility of the realm, not the inevitability.Therefore, having faith does not necessarily mean having a realm.More importantly, is realm a priority for China today?please!Using waste oil, adding melamine, making poisonous rice and steamed buns, is it a lack of realm?Isn't that a joke? Question: If you don’t have faith, are you not afraid of the loss of people’s hearts and moral decline? Answer: Not afraid.No belief does not mean no ideal, no belief, no soul, no spirit.Hard work, self-sacrifice for others, hard work, perseverance, are all spirits.In addition, father's kindness and son's filial piety are the norms; courtesy and reciprocity are the creed; world peace is the ideal; the country is prosperous and the people are safe, it is the pursuit.There are many ways and means to unite people, maintain ethnic groups, and establish morality. Faith is not the only one. Question: But you also said that belief is the instinct of human life. Isn't this contradictory? Answer: Oh, no contradiction.I made it very clear that the emergence of faith stems from two needs.One is realistic, which is security, freedom, identity.All religions and beliefs in the world are fulfilling this function.Our nation did not have such a belief in the past, nor will it need to in the future.But fundamentally speaking, human beings always have to look up to the starry sky, find the source, and know the destination.Is there then a need for a pure and universal faith?I dare not say it yet.At least, not urgently. Q: So what would you say is our top priority? Answer: Rebuild the spiritual core of Chinese civilization.This requires examining "Chinese civilization in the world civilization", finding "common values ​​in Chinese civilization", and understanding "responsibility in the future world".In short, with a global perspective and a modern historical perspective, retell our destiny and choices over the past 3,700 years, so as to see clearly the will of civilization and find the position of China. This is the task of "Yi Zhongtian Chinese History".