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emphasis on the examination of their cultural differences, before we contemplate
the shift from ancient to modern?
At their most extreme, the former style of analysis ignores the differences
between China and the West and merely highlights the changes between the past
and the present; the latter ignores the changes between the past and the present,
and instead underlines the differences between China and the West.
The root causes of the aforementioned fissures in Confucianism research can
be traced to the varying degrees of emphasis attached to these types of analysis:
Those differences between attitudes in China and the West; and the differences
between ancient and modern times.
The national sentiment behind Confucianism today can explain why scholars
are emotionally motivated to focus on the differences between China and the West.
In the century-long history of modern Confucianism, even when—in a desperate
need to save the nation—it underwent severe criticism, what lay behind it was still
the powerful motivation of nationalism. As we can see from the previous analysis,
the “extinction–revival” model adopted by Confucianism in ancient societies in
recounting its own history not only affirms its intrinsic value, independent of the
rise and fall of dynasties, but also inspires the highly emotional and moral ethos of
“continuing the lost teachings of past sages.” In modern times the “Confucian
revival” has replaced the notion of “distinction between China and foreign lands,”
and instead provided the Chinese nation with a cultural identity. However, the
sense of Confucian revival, which has developed together with China’s national
and state consciousness, still has a great appeal to the public far beyond the
Confucian community of ancient China, because of its strong national sentiment.
This emotional quality of faith of Confucianism has shown different characteristics
at different times, and today it is manifested in the call for the Confucian revival in
a context that emphasizes the differences between China and the West.
In humanities research, there is no doubt about the significance given to
emotional sincerity and the immediacy of affection; however, these emotions
cannot obscure our understanding of reality and truth, on which our search for
goodness must be premised. Whether it is the disregard of differences between the
historical traditions of China and the West and the over-emphasis of the changes
in ancient and modern times; or the disregard of the changes in ancient and
modern eras that lead to an over-emphasis on the differences between the
historical traditions of China and the West, both remove these changes and
differences in reality, as well as theory. Since the emphasis on the differences
between China and the West has gradually underscored the discourse on Confu-
cian revival, failure to maintain the balance between ancient and modern times,
and between China and the West, risks not just further skewing this emotionally-
charged argument but those differences between China and the West will