A Criticism of Two Dogmas in Philosophy in China

Ruipeng Lei

Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Renzong Qiu

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

pp. 39-56

in: Inaugural issue, East Asian Journal of Philosophy 1 (1), 2021.

Abstract

The authors of this paper criticize two dogmas which have prevailed in philosophy in China over several decades. These dogmas have had devastating consequences for Chinese philosophy. In the first part of this paper the authors criticize the first dogma: Philosophy is the history of philosophy. They describe the first wave of criticism against this dogma in China, and summarize Hegel’s main points in his lectures on the history of philosophy. The authors conclude that Hegel does not endorse this dogma, as some have thought. The authors then put forward their own arguments against this dogma. In the second part of the paper, the authors criticize the second dogma: Philosophers ought to design a universal system of philosophical theory from which the solution of any future philosophical issues can be deduced. In their arguments against the second dogma, the authors employ Popper’s arguments that it is impossible to predict future human activity. Popper’s arguments imply that it is impossible to design the kind of universal system in the second dogma. Finally, the authors emphasize the importance of weighing the values of different options on a case-by-case analysis, taking into account the actual practices of human activities.