Philosophy as the universal character of philosophy is consistent with the theoretical connotation of philosophy. The latter determines that the study of Chinese philosophy cannot be limited to the level of combing historical materials. When engaging in the study of the history of philosophy, it is necessary to reveal its universal significance from the previous classics. The premise of this approach is to affirm the communication between “history” and “thinking” or the unity of philosophical history and philosophical theory. Related to the interaction between history and thinking is the relationship between Chinese philosophy and Western philosophy. Historically, Western philosophy and Chinese philosophy have developed independently. As China enters modern times, the encounter, collision, and fusion of Chinese and Western learning has gradually become a historical phenomenon that needs to be addressed squarely. As a product of human civilization, Western philosophy contains rich ideological resources. As far as the relationship between Chinese and Western studies is concerned, a magnanimous attitude towards Western philosophy is required. The latter means to recognize that although Chinese and Western studies and their traditions have their own characteristics, they are both indispensable intellectual resources for philosophical research and thinking. From a theoretical level, this means looking at Chinese philosophy and engaging in philosophical thinking from the perspective of world philosophy. If it is said that the open vision with the connotation of world philosophy constitutes the premise of the continuation of the generation process of Chinese philosophy today, then the emphasis on pluralistic philosophical wisdom provides the internal theoretical support for this process. In terms of a more substantial aspect, in addition to the interaction between history and thinking, the integration of Chinese and Western ideas, and the related world philosophy horizons, “how to research philosophy” or the approach of philosophy research can also be investigated on basis of the level of scientific reflection, life practice, and the interaction between metaphysics and physics. |