NortheastAsian EnlightenmentThoughtand theRe-interpreting:
Taking FukuzawaYukichiand NishiAmaneasan Example
LIXiaodong
Thisarticletakesare-interpreting perspectiveto analyzethediscussion concerning the conceptofequality between FukuzawaYukichiand NishiAmane.Being awareofthe impactfrom therelationship between modern Western thoughtand tradition which profoundly influenced on modern intellectualsin northeastAsia,Itry to identify an aspect ofthethinking pattern thatfeatured in thoseintellectuals.
By using theterm re-interpreting,thisarticletriesto signify thatthosemodern northeastAsian intellectuals,who wereaffected by so called western impact,comprehended and translated themodern Western thoughtwhilemaking thebestuseoftraditional thoughtwhich resourced in Confucianism thatthey had been saturated with.In that process,thoseintellectualsnotonly re-interpreted themodern Western thoughton the basisoftraditionalorientalthought,butalso madeare-interpreting to Confucianism from theaspectofmodernism.
Astwo representativeenlightenmentintellectualsatthebeginning oftheMeijiera, FukuzawaYukichiand NishiAmanewereboth influenced by modern Western thought, butthey took contrasted attitudeto comprehend it.Fukuzawatried to acceptvalueof western modernism asan ultimateidealthought.Heconsidered Confucianism asthe biggestobstruction to approach western modernism.On theotherside,Nishialso took a modern viewpointto criticizetheso called fatherand son relationand sovereign and subjectrelationwhich wasbased on theideology ofConfucianism,however,heevaluated thattherewasequalfriendshipspiritcontained in Confucianism tradition aswell.By this standpoint,Nishire-interpreted Confucianism in thecontextofwestern modernism,and deconstructed traditionalideology ofConfucianism and endowed itwith new vitality.Itis appropriateto traceNishiAmane’senlightenmentthoughtasanotherpedigreeduring the processofmodern Japan’sapproach to modern Western thought.
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TheComparison ofCreativeTranslation ofPhilosophicalTerms between Yen Fu and NishiAmane
XU Shuisheng
Yen Fu isthefirstperson introducing thewestern philosophy in modern China,and NishiAmaneplaysan importantrolein spreading thecomprehensivewestern thoughts firstly into Japan.Both Yen Fu and NishiAmanehad everstudied aboard in Europeand had awealth ofknowledgeaboutEastern and Western cultures.Butthereisrather differentcharacteristicbetween theirjobsofcreativetranslation.Firstofall,thepurposeof Yen Fu isto develop theintelligenceofhisfellow countrymen and to rescuetheold nation.According to NishiAmane,hisintention isto sow new knowledgeand to build a new schoolofthought.Secondly,Yen Fu understandsand assimilatesthewestern thoughts through Taoism philosophy.And NishiAmanepaysmoreattention to explorethe resourcesofConfucianism.Thirdly,Yen Fu likesto usewordsfrom thepre-Qin classics with theaim ofexpressing elegantly.And NishiAmaneprefersto takeadvantageof popularwordsasthephilosophicaltermsin orderto understand easily.Theresultsin history isthat,theconceptsof“philosophy,”“reason,”“subjectivity,”“objectivity,”
“induction,”and “deduction”created by NishiAmanehavebeen used up to now by the countriesbelonging to Chineseculturalcircles.Whiletheconceptsof“neizhou,”“wai zhou,”“ziyou”and so on madeby Yen Fu arenotbecoming popular.With regard to the reason,itrefersto both personalfactorand thesocialand culturalenvironmentofthattime.
A Research on theRelationship between Confuciusand Enlightenmentfrom thePerspectiveof“KeiseiSaimin”:
A CaseStudy ofNISHIAmaneand ZHANG Jian
YU Chen
Thispapercompared theenlightenmentthatoccurred in Japan and Chinain late19th century,by examining two scholars,NISHIAmaneand Zhang Jian,who haveplayed an importantrolein theprocessofmodernization oftheirrespectivecountries.Themain topicto dealwith in thispaperishow NISHIand Zhang considered traditionalculture, especially Confucius,whilethey madeeffortsto exploitthehuman knowledgeoftheso- called unenlightened people.
Asfarastheroleoftheintellectualatthattimeisconcerned,both NISHIand Zhang showed flexibleattitudetoward thereinterpretation ofConfuciusand themostpartoftheir new vision wasbased on Confucian ideas.Atthesametime,thetwo men shared thesame gesture,dedicating effortsto combinetheirnew ideaswith thegrowth ofsocialeconomy and thewelfareofthenation.
Nevertheless,in comparison with NISHI,Zhang waslikely to adhereto Confucian ideas and try to makefulluseofthoseideasin hiseducationalstructure.NISHIattached more importanceto creating anew scientificdisciplineby integrating allkindsoffieldsthan focusing on fundamentaleducation.Forinstance,heinsisted thatthemodern knowledge wasnotnecessary forpeasants,and merchants.However,Zhang emphasized the significanceoftheeducation forsuch peopleand wasconcerned abouttheliving ofthe common peopleallthetime,whilecarrying on theenlightenmentmovement.
In conclusion,regardlessoftheircommon Confucian background,NISHIand Zhang differfrom each otherin enlightenmentactivities.
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TheCriticism ofDiscoursein NishiAmane’sCriticism ofthe Essayon theRoleofScholars
WATANABE Nozomi
Ithasbeen thoughtthatNishiAmane’sCriticism oftheEssayon theRoleofScholars, rebuttalto FukuzawaYukichi’sEssayon theRoleofscholars,isjustacriticism from the narrow field ofacademicstudy oflogicand apassiveresponseto theproblematicof Fukuzawawho asksabouttheroleoftheintellectualin theearly modern society ofJapan.
Wethink,however,thatitisacriticism ofFukuzawa’sdiscourse.Wehavethreereasons to think so.(1)Nishialmostagreed with Fukuzawa’scontention.(2)Nishiindicated that theFukuzawa’swriting hasnotbeen logicalbecauseof“impossibility ofreference”and
“narrativedevelopment”,and theappropriatenessofitsindication hasbeen clarified by someresearchersofrecentyears.(3)Nishiofthattimethoughtthatthemostimportant thing to introducefrom theWestto Japan waslogicaland sophisticated waysofthinking oftheWest.
Kang Youwei’sInterpretation ofTian （天）and Reformation of‘Modern Confucianism’
INOUE Atsushi
Kang Youwei（康有為） isknown asaChineseConfucian scholarand leaderofthe Hundred Days’Reform (June–September1898)who hasaccomplished theremarkable integration of Chinese traditional thoughts and Western modern thoughts by a comprehensivevision ofunity ofallnature.Butsuch amodernized pointofview always makesusregard Kang Youweijustasareformerfollowing Japan’sreformsin Meiji- period (1868–1912).
Thispapertriesto reevaluateKang YouweinotasafollowerofJapan’smodernization butasadiscreetreformerofChinesemodernization.Hisstrategy wasto redefinetheidea oftian （天）asto guaranteethepossibility ofChinesereformation by using theimagesof hiding dragon （潜龍） and flickering fire（養火） which werepicked outfrom “Book of Changes:Yi（易）”.
Traditionally in Chinatian （天） wasan absoluteexistenceorsymbolthatpeoplemust haveobeyed.Kang Youweioverturned thisChinesetraditionalobedienceto tian （天）and redefined itto bean absoluteguarantorto succeed in reforming.
Wecan say in thissensethatKang YouweiwasnotafollowerofJapan’sreformsbuta uniquereformer.Wecould also find new phasesofKang Youwei’sreforming by reexamining theredefinitionsofimportanttraditionalConfucian ideassuch astian （天）in hisvarioustexts.
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