Consciousness On Philosophy

As the hallmark of contemporary philosophical writings in China, the GeneralIntroduction to Philosophy has been a necessary book for those who hope to studyphilosophy and enhance the capacity and disposition of humanities. It is both atextbook and a monograph. However, most of people care more about its function as atextbook, and ignore its significance as a monograph. Hence, I focus this book on itsacademic side. Within the scope of western philosophical history, I bring itssignificance and contribution to light. I also aim at thinking about the future ofphilosophy on the basis of the deep apprehension on the nature of philosophy.There are three prerequisite problems on the study of the General Introduction toPhilosophy. The first one is the circumstance of times for this book. It is an outcomein the times of post-textbook in China, which is also a necessary result in thedevelopment of Chinese philosophy. The second one is the atmosphere of thought forthis book. The thought current of philosophy in the 20thcentury is the refusal ofmetaphysics and the end of philosophy. It is in this air that the General Introduction toPhilosophy was achieved. That is why it has to face with the fate of philosophy and itsfuture after the end. The third one is the theoretic character of the book. Although thetheoretic background of the book is complex, it is clear that its basis is Marxist. In thisbook, the extraordinary understanding on philosophy is based on the thorough studyon Marxist philosophy. Only these three prerequisites being clarified, can the researchon the General Introduction to Philosophy begin.In this paper, I firstly analyze the comments on the relationship betweenphilosophy and science in the General Introduction to Philosophy. It is in such arelationship that the nature of philosophy presents, and the particular value ofphilosophy as a discipline emerges. In the whole history of western philosophy,philosophy itself is keeping its try to be a science. In other words, there is an idea ofscience of philosophy in western philosophy, which makes the nature of philosophy asloving of wisdom lost, and changes the love of wisdom into the holding of knowledge. The final result of this process is that philosophy as the most universal and pervasivecan only supply us with the illusion of knowledge rather than any real knowledge. It isscience which ends philosophy and makes it homeless. It is on the reflection of theprocess of western philosophy that the proposition that philosophy is not science isproposed. Science means it is the dimension that human thinking forms thought, whilephilosophy means it is the dimension that human thinking reflects thought.Philosophy which is not science is to dissolve the idea that absolute truth exists, andto get its character of loving wisdom back. Therefore, the truth achieved byphilosophical study is not about the objectivity of thought, but the unity of truth, goodand beauty; the understanding on truth is not about the absoluteness of the absolute,but about the relativity of the absolute; and what philosophy aims to achieve is not theeternally absolute spirit of human beings, but the self-consciousness of our times andthe basis of our lives.In the discussion on the relation between philosophy and science, we can findthat the reflective thinking regulates the particular character of philosophy. Hegeldistinguishes image thinking, formally logic reasoning and dialectic thinking, andpoints out that the dialectical thinking of philosophy is the conceptual thinking.Reflection is that thought takes itself as the object and reconsiders it. Husserl makes adifference between the thinking with natural attitude and the thinking withphilosophical attitude in the sense of phenomenology. In his idea, the latter cares moreabout the possibility of recognition. We can find that both Hegel and Husserl reach atheoretical consciousness on the thinking mode of philosophy. So far, the GeneralIntroduction to Philosophy gives us a sharper analysis on the thinking mode ofphilosophy, and shows that its real meaning is the prerequisite critique of theoreticthinking. The starting point of this theory is not on the basis of Hegel's reflectiveactivity, but on the practice and history of human beings, and the thinking mode ofMarxist viewpoint on praxis. The prerequisite of theoretic thinking is not only thereflection and critique on scientific activities, but also the prerequisite critique on theunconscious and unconditional premise of human activities, viz., the identity ofthinking and being. All the activities of human beings entail an unconscious and unconditional premise, that is, the presupposition and promise on the identity ofthinking and being. Critical reflection always aims at this premise. It is thisprerequisite that opens a window for us to philosophical critique, and neverannounces that it reaches the final understanding on truth. In this sense, theprerequisite critique of theoretic thinking transcends the thinking mode of oldmetaphysics, and makes a thorough reflection possible.In the sense of thinking mode, philosophy is a kind of reflective one, while in themode of appearance, it is a kind of theoretic representation. By the means ofanswering the question of Carnap, Prof. Sun proposes the conception ofrepresentation, which in essence is the defense on the especially theoretic value ofphilosophy. With the analysis on the conception of representation, he raises a newviewpoint on philosophy in the General Introduction to Philosophy. As the sociallyself-consciousness of mind and the elite of the spirits in times, philosophy reaches itstheoretic understanding on the spirits of times by the means of representation. It is atheoretic and systematic expression on the spirits of times, and also it is the lively soulof human civilization. The conception of representation shows a kind of particularunderstanding on philosophy, and it is a change in ideas. There are three aspects onthe change of philosophical ideas from the viewpoint of representation. First,philosophical representation is beyond the epistemological position of philosophy onits own road, which pronounces the failure of the ways that regard philosophy asscience or literature. The achieving mode of philosophy is neither narrating, norexpressing, but representing. Second, in the sense of philosophical content, thegrasping of philosophy on its time is neither narrating the experimental facts of thetime, nor its emotion and willing, but the self-consciousness of human beings'on theirmeaning of existence. Third, in the sense of the function of philosophy, it is not onlythe response and summary of the spirits of the times, more importantly, it is also thereflection, representation and guidance.What the spirits of times form in the sense of representation is rather theontological conception of philosophy. With the analysis on substantial ontology andthe pursuit for being, Prof. Sun illustrates his understanding on being itself. As an intentional pursuit for its origin, and a final concern on human beings, the world andthe relation between them, what ontological research cares about is not the origin.Rather, it real meaning is not on the final and highest existence. The rational way ofontological research is human beings'presupposition of aim in reason, which is basedon reality and also beyond reality. It denies its presence and aims at change its realreality into an ideal reality. The real significance of ontological research is edifyhuman beings to keep a necessary tension between reality and ideal, and between thefinal intent and the historical certainty. Meanwhile, it will keep the subtle balance andmake human beings have their intention on truth, good and beauty in their lives, andkeep the space of self-criticism and self-transcendence possible. With this viewpoint,Prof. Sun further insists that the post-metaphysics in contemporary philosophy is inessence a metaphysical pursuit, which is evident impossible but still alive.The ontological research is actually the pursuit for sublimity, which makes theeducational function of philosophy possible. Philosophy is a kind of knowledge whichcan make us sublime. In the loving of wisdom in philosophy, both the surprise for thenature and the knowing of man himself, is not only a thirsty for knowledge, but also aconcern on the meaning of life, and the edification of life state. In the book of GeneralIntroduction to Philosophy, we learn that it is in the process of understandingphilosophical problems, that we can raise our apprehension on theories, and achieve apositive and rational attitude to life. As the internal standard of man as a Man and thefinal aim of human history, sublimity is the real meaning of human ontological pursuit.Philosophy as a kind of education on sublimity, is to cultivate the fine personas ofhuman beings. Therefore, the function of philosophy is to make man as Man becomea real Man.The book of General Introduction to Philosophy is kind of self-consciousness onthe nature of philosophy. And it supplies us with a broadly theoretic vision and highlylevel of thought on philosophical research. It is a great starting point for ourphilosophical study. As for studying philosophy, this book tells us that we need to payattention to conceptions, representation and the significance of the philosophicalhistory. Philosophy is not fixed and rigid knowledge any more, it is a transcendence from names to conceptions, and it lets us know that knowing the history andachievement of thinking is as important as the understanding and contemplation on allthe life.In the General Introduction to Philosophy, its theoretic consciousness on thenature of philosophy opens the window to a thorough reflection and critique, andmakes a great impact on aspects of academy, discipline and disposition. Firstly, in thesense of academy, it raises a set of fresh ideas under the condition of the end ofphilosophy, changes the traditionally philosophical notions, and achieves a theoreticself-consciousness on the nature of philosophy in the scope of contemporaryphilosophy, and makes us realize how to study philosophy. It is significant for us bothin the research on Marxist philosophy and on the whole western philosophy. Secondly,in the sense of discipline, it is fundamental for the development of philosophy as asubject, because it distinguishes philosophy and science, and emphasizes the valueand position of philosophy and makes philosophy as a discipline possible and stable.Thirdly, in the sense of disposition, it is not only a requisite textbook for students inphilosophy department, but also for those who hope to enhance their philosophicalcapacity and human disposition. Especially, it makes Marxist philosophy as thedisposition of all the people possible.