International projects
Modern and Contemporary Taiwanese Philosophy
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.10.00 |
Humanities |
Philosophy |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H130 |
Humanities |
History of philosophy |
Taiwanese philosophy, preservation of tadition, dialogue with Western philosophy, transcultural philosophy, comparative philosophy
Researchers (5)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The main goal of the proposed project is to systematically introduce to the European (especially Central European) academic public and spread the most important achievements of modern and contemporary Taiwanese philosophers, along with their contributions in the field of contemporary philosophical theory. There are two main reasons for the immense importance of Taiwanese philosophy for East Asia and the contemporary academic world: 1. First, they can be found in its contributions to the preservation of traditional Chinese thought during the latter half of the 20th century. 2. Secondly, its development of specific innovative philosophical approaches and systems have been since this period profoundly influencing the theoretical discourses in the entire East Asian region. Since the Western academic world is to a large extent unaware of both above-mentioned facts, the aim of our project is to raise awareness about the importance of these contributions in Europe, especially in the regions of Central Europe. These regions have been hitherto namely completely ignorant about the vivid and important role Taiwanese scholars were playing in the East Asian academic world at the threshold of the third millennia.
Therefore, one of the central project aims is also to strengthen and develop the cultural, academic, and educational exchange between the two areas. The philosophical currents in modern Taiwan were mainly developed during the second half of the 20th Century, in which the philosophical theory in mainland China was largely limited to the Sinification of Marxist thought. Hence, for many decades, Taiwanese philosophy was the only driving force behind the development, modernization, and upgrading of traditional Chinese thought and its syntheses with Western philosophy. Therefore, it soon also gained a wide spread popularity in most of the other East Asian societies that were traditionally influenced by classical Chinese thought, such as Japan and South Korea. Besides investigating Taiwanese influences upon these East Asian regions, the project also aims to focus upon the broad and important impact of Taiwanese philosophy to the mainland Chinese academic world. Additionally, the proposed project will also explore Taiwanese developments and innovations regarding the specific concepts and methods for investigating Chinese philosophy. At the same time, however, it will also focus upon research in the foundations of the specific Taiwanese approaches to the theoretical elaboration of East Asian modernization. In this context, it will also investigate new approaches in the Chinese philosophical methodology. The collaborating researchers will explore all these achievements and innovations systematically and introduce them to the European (especially Central European) academic world. Keywords: Modern and contemporary Taiwanese philosophy, Taiwan’s relations with Central Europe, Methodology of Chinese philosophy, Theoretical Innovations.
Significance for science
The transcultural aglobal perspective is of great importance for the development of all scientific disciplines in our time. This is especially true of the humanities, which have hitherto developed in a fragmentary manner, within individual discourses, isolated from one another, and often within the framework of the particular histories of specific ideas and languages. The new methodology underlying the project's research will foster the transcultural exchange of knowledge and ideas, which is more important than ever in today's globalized world and in a time of widespread crises. As the central crises and problems of our time manifest themselves on a global scale, a globalization of epistemology and theory of science is also necessary, as such crises and problems can only be resolved through informed and up-to-date scholarship that takes into account the issues of equality and justice of all cultures and peoples while responding to the demands of our time. Importantly, such a globalization of scientific discourse is not based on a standardization grounded on the economic-political supremacy of those regions that have established the current centers of global power and dominance, but on a cultural, linguistic, and axiological diversity that allows for transcultural dialogues. The research results can provide a systematic method to illuminate and resolve inconsistencies in culturally homogeneous interpretations of specific philosophical questions. The research questions are highly topical, not only because of the worsening global crises, but also because they focus on the identification, critical presentation, and development of alternative models of transcultural exchange of ideas and knowledge. A science based on such an exchange will also be better able to face the problems of criteria and formulation of democratic strategies for technological development, the use of digitalization, and other challenges occurring in today’s globalized world.
Significance for the country
The project’s central distinguishing feature is of utmost importance fort he dwevelopment of humanities in Slovenia. It lies in the inclusion of analyses of the material in the native languages they were written in, and in the involvement of partners from the East Asian regions. The interdisciplinary approach of the proposed project, bringing together different disciplines within the broader field of Asian studies, particularly East Asian ideational paradigms, is also important for the development of Slovenian scholarship. Such an approach is at the same time extremely productive for the development of the basic methodological concepts of contemporary transcultural theory, as it offers a way to bridge the discursive divides that still prevail in Slovenian mainstream humanities research through a contrastive analysis of different ethical discourses, while at the same time mastering the native languages of the regions under study, and thus enriching and developing these kinds of knowlege in Slovenia.
Audiovisual sources (4)
