Philosophy and Intercultural Communication: The Phenomenon of a Human Being in the Confucian Tradition

Abstract

Purpose. This paper aims to investigate the phenomenon of a human being within the Confucian tradition as well as its interpretations from intercultural perspective. Theoretical basis. One of the ways to understand the deepest level of the intercultural dialogue is to reveal the interpretations of a human being in philosophical traditions, since they refer to the formation of personality and identity within a given culture including interpersonal, intergroup, and intercultural relations. Humanism based on the unity of Human and Heaven runs like a red thread through the philosophical teachings of Confucius, Mencius, Xunzi, Zhu Xi, Wang Yangming defining the ideas of human nature, his/her duties, his/her place and roles in society that shaped the Chinese mentality. Originality. Quite often, Chinese concepts (for example, human dignity beyond the ideas of democracy and mass political participation, guanxi, mianzi) are incomprehensible to the representatives of the Western civilization, which leads to the challenges in intercultural communication. The interpretation of these ideas in the context of Confucianism allows to understand them from the perspective of Others and expand the set of patterns of cultural perception. This ultimately leads to the awareness that there are many social, political, cultural realities, which we perceive through the lens of our own concepts and attitudes. The participants of an intercultural dialogue realize that each of them has a unique experience, own way of posing a problem and resolving it, and no one is better or worse. Conclusions. Confucian philosophy shaped the worldview of Chinese people, defined values, goals, meanings, attitudes, communication models, which affected all spheres of Chinese life and culture. The study of the philosophical heritage of the great Chinese civilization enhances the cultural competence of the intercultural communicators and expands the field of dialogue to the level of global communication.

In the Beginning: Chinese Cosmogonic Myths and Taoist Philosophy

“…Unlike the proponents of the Western concept of creationism, Chinese philosophers see the Cosmos as a process of creation in situ: one thing is transformed into another. The Chinese Cosmos is a living organism integrated into a dynamic wholeness, and the main principle of the existence and development of the world is based on eternal changes [4]. The infinite, immeasurable, formless Tao generates myriads of things, processes, and phenomena that go through the entire life cycle and then return to their source to give life to the other things, processes, and phenomena [2].…”

The Japanese Perspective on Human Nature

“…Morality is an integral part of the structure of the universe. According to the philosopher, people are basically goodevery human can be a benevolent sage [4]. All people can cultivate virtue and act in accordance with the Mandate of Heaven.…”