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| On the Literary Nature of the World and the Universal Nature of Literature |
| CHENG Zhong-ying |
| Department of Philosophy, University of Hawaii, Hawaii, USA |
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Abstract The world is a world of people and cultures. Philosophy represents rational spirit, and literature represents humanistic spirit. They constitute the two most basic elements of culture. The Chinese character “文(wen)” means “texture”, and literature is an expression of people’s inner state. Literature is intrinsically related to human nature. Whether in terms of itself or in terms of social function, literature expresses and conveys specific facts and situations with language, including the facts of human nature and state, namely, the truth of human nature. And the true human nature includes the ability of pursuing good. The purpose of literature is to expose problems in real life through experience. Literature is not only people’s expression of the world, but also a part of life and the world. Therefore, great literary works can also infuse people with the concept of philosophy, and philosophy can also be expressed in literature. The world has literary nature, and literature has universal nature. The world in literature is fictional or based on true stories. It has direct influence upon people's feeling and understanding of the world. The world of literature assumes the activities of world culture. However, up to now literature has not yet revealed the true human nature in a philosophical sense, and the world culture has not developed into a state of rich harmony. This is as much a question of philosophers as of literature. More work is required of philosophy to make it inclusive and comprehensive so as to enlighten literature.
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Received: 16 December 2019
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[1] 陈晓芬. 论语·大学·中庸[M].徐儒宗译注.北京:中华书局,2015.
[2] 杨天才. 周易[M].张善文译注.北京:中华书局,2011.13. |
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2020, Vol. 37 
