Chinese Philosophy in the Past Two Decades

Abstract

Since 1978, contemporary Chinese philosophy has entered a new stage of development. The last two decades have witnessed three hot topics: "practice," "man," and "Cultural Heritage Studies." They reflect the following major transitions: (1) from practice as a standard to practical materialism, (2) from humanism to the Study of Man, and (3) from Culture mania to [Chinese] Cultural Heritage Studies mania. The first topic is an expression of the reflection and innovation going on in Marxist philosophy; the issues of the Study of Man and Cultural Heritage Studies reflect the influences of modern Western philosophy and traditional Chinese philosophy. The interaction of Marxist philosophy, modern Western philosophy, and traditional Chinese philosophy is not only the major theme in contemporary Chinese philosophy, but also its promising prospect. Therefore, research into their interaction is of theoretical, as well as practical, significance.