Sympathy And The Generation Of Modern Chinese Aesthetics

The modernity of Chinese aesthetics is different from that of the West.The modernization process of belated and exogenous type determines that the modernity of Chinese aesthetics and social modernity are unified,while in the West they are contradictory.As a key element that transcends China and the West,transcends classics and modernity,and connects aesthetics and morality,sympathy participates in the generation of modern Chinese aesthetics and shapes the disciplinary knowledge structure of modern Chinese aesthetics."Sympathy" discussed in modern Chinese aesthetics has two meanings.Firstly,the projection and interaction of the subjective emotions with objects and nature;secondly,the self’s empathy for the situation and emotions of the other.The two respectively represent the identity of the object and the self in the aesthetic area and the inter-subjectivity in the ethical field.The former strengthens the autonomy of aesthetics,that is,the independence of aesthetics and the construction of theoretical connotation;the latter promotes the extension of aesthetic social value,that is,the spread of aesthetics in the social and political fields.It is under the impetus of sympathy that the aesthetic autonomy and social value of modern Chinese aesthetics is presented.Chapter one generally analyses the characteristics of Chinese aesthetic modernity and the influence of sympathy on the generation of modern Chinese aesthetics.In the West,aesthetic modernity originates from the critique of social modernity,because social modernity causes the one-sided development of instrumental rationality and the loss of human subjectivity,and aesthetics assumes the role of redeemer.Different from the process of Western modernization,China’s modernization is belated and exogenous,which determines that the historical conditions for criticizing social modernity are not yet mature.Chinese modern scholars hail science and rationality as the representation of modernity,rather than the target of criticism.At the same time,the cultural tradition of the unity of sentiment and reason has made Chinese modern scholars abandon the binary opposition mode when accepting Western aesthetics,they advocate the harmony of sensibility and reason.As always,the Chinese modern estheticians aim for enlightenment,national liberation and social modernization,and expands the cultivation of individual personality to the shaping of group virtues through sympathy,thus achieving the unity of disciplinary autonomy and social values.Chapter two focuses on the thoughts of Wang Guowei and Cai Yuanpei to discuss the influence of "sympathy" on the early stage of modern Chinese aesthetics.Wang Guowei accepted the "Aesthetic Disinterestedness" doctrine represented by Kant and realized the autonomy of aesthetics.Wang Guowei’s metaphysical reflection has provided a variety of theoretical discourses and categories such as "Visionary World" and "Classic Elegance Doctrine" for modern Chinese aesthetics,and opened up the theoretical meaning of modern Chinese aesthetics as "aesthetic philosophy" and "literary aesthetics",and promoted the formation of early modern Chinese aesthetics.Wang Guowei believes that Mencius’ s "heart of compassion" is similar to Adam Smith’s "sympathy",and Confucius’ s theory of loyalty and forgiveness is "a universal benevolence from universal love and sympathy ",thus creating the precedent to explain traditional Confucian moral thought in Western sentimental ethics.Cai Yuanpei’s "sympathy theory" has clear social and political references.Under the influence of Yan Fu’s social Darwinism and Inoue Enryō’s theory of "re-emotion",Cai Yuanpei regarded sympathy as the foundation of morality and society,and the elimination of individual desires and the development of sociality as the key of survival.In his view,empathy of aesthetic can promote the cultivation of one’s sympathy,which is conducive to the elimination of egoism and the growth of altruism,consequently connecting aesthetics with social issues such as the war of Resistance against Japan and national liberation.Chapter three focuses on Zhu Guangqian’s "sympathy theory" to explore the influence of the localized reconstruction of Western sympathy theory on the generation of modern Chinese aesthetics.Zhu Guangqian regards empathy as the outward projection of subjective emotions to the object and the exchange and interaction between the two,and uses it as a theoretical explanation of the unity of subject and object in aesthetic activities,thus showing the difference of empathy with Western empathy,and the relationship with the traditional Chinese aesthetics of "Being stirred by external things".Zhu Guangqian explained the pleasure of tragedy through the difference between "aesthetic sympathy" and "moral sympathy".In Zhu Guangqian’s view,sympathy has contributed to the generation of the sociality of art and constitutes the essential feature that distinguishes art from games.Under the influence of traditional Confucianism,Zhu Guangqian regards sympathy as benevolence,morality,and even the foundation of human culture and society.At the same time,he took aesthetic imagination as a favorable factor for the development of sympathy to realize the moral function of literature and art,thus establishing a bridge from aesthetics to society.Chapter four takes Zong Baihua’s "sympathy theory" as an example to discuss the relationship between the modernization of traditionalsympathy thoughts and the generation of modern Chinese aesthetics.Influenced by the thoughts of French philosopher Jean-Marie Guyau,Zong Baihua regards sympathy as the main psychological mechanism of aesthetic activities.He believes that the purpose of art is to "integrate the feelings and emotions of society into a consistent whole",and aesthetics is conducive to sympathy among individuals.After turning his academic attentionto Chinese classical aesthetics,Zong Baihua explains the concepts of "Shifting oneself" and "Shifting the world" in traditional literary theory,constructs a theory of empathy with Chinese cultural characteristics,and participates in the "Aesthetic Discussion" of the 1950 s."Shifting oneself" refers to the change of subjective emotion when aesthetic activity occurs,and "Shift the world" mainly refers to the change of object image when aesthetic activity occurs."Shifting oneself" to "Shifting the world" respectively illustrate the logical premise of aesthetics from the subject and object,and show the theoretical effects of the modern transformation of local thoughts.In addition,Zong Baihua gives a modern interpretation of Wei-Jin demeanor from the perspective of sympathy.Zong Baihua believes that true temperament and true morality based on sympathy can expell "Hypocrisy" and construct an important driving force for the victory of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.Chapter five takes Feng Zikai’s "sympathy theory" as an example to explore the fusion of Chinese and Westernsympathy thoughts based on artistic practice and its influence on the generation of modern Chinese aesthetics."Cutting off from the bonds of the world" refers to the isolation of utilitarian and cognitive thinking,and "Sympathy" achieves the emotional transfer of the subject to the object while "Cutting off from the bonds of the world".Therefore,"Sympathy theory " and "Cutting off from the bonds of the world" are two inseparable aspects in Feng Zikai’s theory.After the outbreak of the anti-Japanese war,Feng Zikai makes a functional extension of sympathy to the social and political dimensions,but this extension is built on the basis of "Cutting off from the bonds of the world" and "sympathy",thus maintaining the aesthetic and artistic characteristics.Feng Zikai uses sympathy to interpret the "vital and vivid" and endows it with metaphysical characteristics,and then promotes the artistic and life state of "all in one".He believes that sympathy is the key to the connection between childlike innocence and art,and points out that the core and artistic starting point of childlike innocence are both human beings’ sympathy for others and all things in nature.It is on the basis of his own rich artistic practice that Feng Zikai takes sympathy as the prerequisite for artistic activities and the basic concept of aesthetic theory,realizing the fusion of Chinese and Western thoughts and the generation of aesthetic theories.Chapter six summarizes and discusses the significance and value of sympathy of modern Chinese aesthetics generation.Wang Guowei and Cai Yuanpei have studied in two dimensions(aesthetic autonomy and social values),and Zhu Guangqian,Zong Baihua,and Feng Zikai in three paths(indigenization of Western theories,modernization of indigenous ideas,and promotion of theory generation through artistic practice)to promote the birth and growth of modern Chinese aesthetics.Although the generation paths are differences,they all follow the two-dimension approach of autonomy and social values.They regard sympathy as the foundation of morality,and aesthetics as a way to develop sympathy.Through aesthetics,the sympathy has realized the transformation from individual moral perfection to that of the whole society,thus constructing the "AestheticsSympathy-Society" line of thought in modern Chinese aesthetics.The main line has important ideological significance,constitutes an important aspect of the "affective enlightenment" function of modern Chinese aesthetics,and promotes the two-way construction of modern aesthetics and the modern nation-state.In terms of contemporary values,sympathy eliminates the tendency of "materialization" brought about by instrumental rationality and utilitarianism,and restores people to individuals with a complete emotional world,thereby providing a favorable social foundation and the environment for "Good life" in the sense of Martha Nussbaum.