Expounding Of The Ancient Knowing And Practicing Idea Of China

Knowing and practicing, as well as theory and praxis (practice) are regarded as two fundamental life styles of human being in philosophic view and all kinds of life of human kind involve them. These two manners in which person answers and deals with relations between the nature, society or another and him and hold human being themselves and the world outside of him are two forms of expression what he is. On sense of ontology, they are existing forms of human being. For quite some time, knowing and practicing, theory and praxis as two life styles and existing forms of human, touch off much debate and people try their best to study them. The arguments focus on the question which of them is a basis of the other and an existing root of human. There are three methods to resolve this problem in history of philosophy: The first is dualism and recognizes that both of them are the existing forms of human and it is unnecessary to differ one from the other. The second is monism and one is a foundation and a basis and then the other is derived and born. The third is syncretism and their origin is neither of them but life world of human-existence of human itself. My dissertation applies the third method to resolve the question on knowing and practicing, theory and praxis. Knowing and practicing opposite to each other is because they are classified into different fields of the question and regarded as resolving different but not the same questions of human. This situation leads us to think them to be independent of each other. It is that we think knowing and practicing as human's means that reach certain ends and demands of human but not themselves ends of human. Both knowing and practicing identical base is being of human life: freedom and liberation of human. They should be comprehended to be ends but not to attain certain ends. Chinese ancient philosophic views on knowing and practicing have great significance and value to comprehend true implications of them and to reflect on meanings of and relations between theory and praxis. Knowing and practicing in philosophy of China as for the existing forms and activities of human; and right cognitions toward their implications and relationships are conducive to understand and overcome some controversies or problems that have been existing in history of philosophy for a long time such as between the science and the liberty, between the theory and the praxis and the essence of human being and so on.