The Deconstruction Of Metaphysics Of Xu Fuguan

Xu Fuguan is an important representative of the second generation of Neo-Confucian school. And undoubtedly the Deconstruction of Metaphysics is one of his most representative academic views. Xu Fuguan believes that if the philosophy only stresses on the ideal and ignores the reality, as well as stresses on abstract thinking and neglects the living world, the ideal and abstract thinking is not only helpless to the survival of mankind, but also will lose its vitality. Therefore, he rejects the modern Neo-Confucian's reconstructing the direction of Chinese philosophy's ontology, and proposes the Deconstruction of Metaphysics, which brings the philosophy back to our real life and provides a new way of thinking for the research and development of the Chinese philosophy in the future. The course of his argument can be summed up as follows:First, he defines that the Chinese culture is the culture of heart, and then proposes "Mid-physics". Secondly, he brings the "Heaven" back to earth and gets close to people, which, according to the Chinese ancient culture, is the most important for people, and that is the human culture of heaven. And Xu Fuguan believes that this process is the process of Deconstruction of Metaphysics. Thirdly, taking Chinese culture as the starting point, he makes a detailed analysis for the six characteristics of the culture, and on the basis proposes that for demonstrating the true spirit of Chinese culture, it should be the Deconstruction of Metaphysics. Xu Fuguan' point of view is different from his mentoring; he also uses his view of the Deconstruction of Metaphysics to criticize his mentoring to reconstruct the metaphysics, which he believes is the reversal direction for the Chinese culture's development. The ideas of Xu Fuguan's Deconstruction of Metaphysics have many similarities with the German philosopher Immanuel Kant's criticism on the traditional metaphysics. Although Xu Fuguan doesn't have systematic study on Western philosophy, the similarity between them especially the similar purpose is indeed a cause for us to have a serious reflection and analysis. Next take a look at the post-modernist school of modern Western philosophy, whose critical goal is the Western metaphysical tradition and the tradition of reason, and it will totally subverts the belief from metaphysical system. Comparing with Xu Fuguan's Deconstruction, this criticism is more intense and complete, but there is also some affinity between the two. As a result of the same times of the two, and then taking account of this affinity, we quite need to compare the two. Therefore, the analysis on Xu Fuguan's views of the Deconstruction of Metaphysics and the comparisons between the Deconstruction of Metaphysics and Kant's metaphysics as well as post-modern philosophy constitute the main body of this article.