Process Philosophy and Constructive Postmodernism in Contemporary China: Aspects of Theoretical Connection
This paper is devoted to processes in terminology of philosophizing after the end of ideological monopoly of official Marxism as theoretically dominating factor in China. The problem is that all aspects of discussions, many terms looking very familiar for a European's or an American's eye, in contemporary Chinese philosophical usage are meaning something seriously different than in Europe or America. Sometimes in understanding these terms even knowledge of traditional Chinese philosophical vocabulary can hardly help because theoretical attitude to them has been revised very deeply. The key factor of all transformations in contemporary Chinese philosophy is almost commonly accepted epistemological attitude called constructive postmodernism in international philosophical community. In the base of this attitude is the doctrine known as philosophy of process and initiated with the works of the British philosopher A. N. Whitehead, who in the middle of his life moved to the USA. His works exposing theoretical principles of holistic relation to the world, cognition, and the processes of human activity are in highest degree adequate to the practical challenges of development in contemporary China, on the one hand, and to the traditions of Chinese classical thought, on the other hand. Because of these reasons, A. N. Whitehead's theoretical views have received both political support of authorities and serious development in academic circles in China. Nowadays, in Chinese universities there are almost 30 specialized centers of postmodern development based on the philosophical principles initiated by Whitehead's works. The activity of these centers is coordinated by The Institute of Postmodern Development of China organizing conferences, public discussions, academic exchange, information support of this work. The author of this text offers view on problems of understanding contemporary philosophical language looking at it from "inside" on the base of two academic years of scholarships in two major universities of continental China. The content of this analysis can interest those who deal with theoretical discourse of language in postmodernist philosophy of China.