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Peking University, Nov.9, 2011: On the afternoon of November 5, 2011, "A Dialogue on Axial-Age Civilizations", an academic activity of Beijing Forum 2011, was held in the Multifunctional Hall in PKU Hall. Professor Tu Weiming, the president of Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies and Professor Robert N.Bellah, a recipient of the United States National Humanities Metal brought about an extensive discussion on religion and philosophy.

Tu Weiming and Robert N. Bellah at Beijing Forum (PKU News/Fang Runiu)

After the dialogue, Professor Tu readily accepted the interview with PKU News and talked about the Confucianism and Globalization, along with his vision.

How to practice Confucianism

As an outstanding scholar of Confucian Studies, Professor Tu was deeply influenced by Confucianism. Thus how to apply Confucianism to daily life was the first question presented to him. “Confucian philosophy can be treated as a way of life, rather than a speculation," said Professor Tu. Since we live in different times, it’s impossible for modern people to do exactly the same with the ancient sages. "But it is always possible and positive to get closer to them, and the models they established kept inspiring and motivating me."

China's social problem

In modern Chinese society, more and more people seem to value money more than anything else. Worse than that, many people do not set any time aside for their inner development because of the fast pace of modern life. “Pursuing success (money) is not enough," said Professor Tu. “You have to find the purpose of your life. You may not make a lot of money on your way seeking the purpose, but it is the right direction for your life. Besides, they don’t contradict each other. You have to sort out the priorities as Confucius said, ‘remember what is right at the sight of profit’." He also commented on current issues such as “Xiaoyueyue event." “Moral degradation has become very serious in China. What Mencius once said — There is kindness to be found everywhere — seems to be obsolete. I think the lack of reverence and excessive individualism should account for this." Professor Tu explained. In order to solve these problems, he gave some suggestions such as we should pay more attention to the arts of listening and introspection, which can help us get out of “the trap of individualism."

Progress and drawback

As is known to all, Confucianism suffered severe criticism in the May Fourth Movement, leading to much misunderstanding even today, which is a great loss for Chinese culture. But Confucianism has been making progress all the time. “As a living tradition, Confucianism is self-critical, and external criticism can interact with it. By that means, Confucianism inspects itself and makes further improvement. The May Fourth Movement denied almost everything in Confucianism, but I believe as long as being a living tradition, Confucianism can keep renewing itself and regain its vitality."

With globalization strengthening the links among different cultures, the trend towards culture assimilation seems to become more obvious. Professor Tu elaborated his opinion on this aspect. “We believe the global culture system will keep diversifying. Globalization is different from modernization, because it also comes with regionalization and localization which means different regions have their own non-simultaneous process with one another. Globalization has resulted in a synchronized global economy, but it is impossible for culture to be synchronized. The interaction between different cultures can better adapt themselves to modern societies; meanwhile, their own characteristics won’t be wiped away." Then he added, “Confronted with great challenges, American are undergoing changes everywhere. What the world will become in ten years is an impossible question to answer."

Vision on Confucianism

There’s a saying in Confucius’ analects, “since the age of seventy, I have been able to do what I intend freely without breaking the rules." Upon this saying, Professor Tu shared his dream with us. “What I have done and will always do is contributing myself to the development of Confucianism in the 21st century, with the hope that Confucianism can help the construction of global culture in peace with other ancient wisdoms. Maybe it is more important for us to dialogue with Middle East and India than western countries, if we intend to come into a peaceful coexistence."

Reported by: Fang Runiu

Edited by: Chen Long