再论中西精神--答朱金高先生

综合思维与分析思维都是我们全面、深入地认识客观世界所必需的思维方式。人类认识客观世界一般是先通过综合思维了解其全貌，再通过分析思维深入地认识其各个方面。中国以综合思维见长，这使我们比西方更能认识客观存在的全貌，又使我们中国人能更好地把自己和社会联系起来，其社会制度也更能兼顾社会各阶层的利益。这正是古代中国比西方发达、文明的重要原因。到近代，人类完成了对客观存在的全貌的认识，需要分门别类、更加深入地认识客观存在，这时西方的分析思维就更有优势；西方的分析思维又使他们更重自我，善于对外扩张。这是近代西方崛起、中国滑坡的主要原因。而根源于中国综合思维的社会、集体意识，又使中国人在民族危亡之际，众志成城，完成了反帝反封建的社会变革，也使中国对内对外都有良好的社会关系。西方则长期动荡不安。比较而言，根源于综合思维、以集体主义和社会主义为核心的中国精神更有助于社会的稳定发展，中国的大同与马克思主张的共产主义以及综合与分析两种思维方式的分工协作，才是我们社会稳定、家庭幸福的根本保障。因此，我们应以中国精神改造西方精神，以西方精神完善中国精神，然后中西合璧，提升人类思想文化的层次。唯其如此，我们才能获得真正而彻底的幸福。

Further Discussion on Chinese and Western Spirit--Reply to Mr.Zhu Jingao

People cannot tell which is superior, the Chinese synthetical thinking or the western analytical thinking, so long as they are employed as the necessary method of thinking for us to comprehensively and profoundly understand the objective world. Generally speaking, man first understood the objective world as a whole through synthetical method of thinking before he could acquire knowledge of the various parts of the world in a deep going way through analytical method of thinking. The ancient Chinese were good at the synthetical method of thinking, so they had a better grasp of the objective existence as a whole than the westerners; moreover, this method of thinking helped them to properly handle the relations between individuals and the society, thus establishing a social system that could give equal attention to the benefits of all social strata than any western social systems could do. These two points were among the important reasons that contributed to the fact that the ancient Chinese society was more developed and civilized than the western society. In the modern history, however, when man had acquired a rather complete knowledge of the objective existence as a whole, what he needed was more profound and specific knowledge of the objective existence classified into various fields. It was at this stage of development that the western analytical method of thinking displayed its tremendous advantage; in addition, this style of thinking boosted egoism and expansionism. This was the main reason why western society rose up and Chinese society fell down in modern history.However, the collective concept and social consciousness derived from the Chinese synthetical thinking made the Chinese in a position to unite as one and saved the nation out of peril and to complete the anti-imperialist and anti-feudalist social reform. This style of thinking also enabled China to enjoy good social relations both outside and inside the country. On the contrary, long period of turbulence prevailed in the west. Viewed in comparison, the Chinese spirit with the collectivism and socialism derived from the Chinese synthetical thinking at the core is more helpful to the stable development of society. The Chinese ideal of a world of universal harmony and communism proposed by Marx, and the collaboration of synthetical and analytical thinking while functioning in their respective fields constitute the fundamental guarantee of the stability of society and the happiness of families. Therefore, we should reform western spirit in the light of Chinese spirit, and in turn perfect Chinese spirit with western spirit, thus merging Chinese and western culture to bring the thinking and culture of the whole humanity to a new high. Only in this way can we build up a genuine and perfect welfare society.