“World History”, “Chinese-Language Philosophy” and Their Historical Mission

Wu Genyou

Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning ›› 2026, Vol. 11 ›› Issue (1) : 75-86.

Welcome to visit Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning!
Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning ›› 2026, Vol. 11 ›› Issue (1) : 75-86. DOI: 10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20260107

“World History”, “Chinese-Language Philosophy” and Their Historical Mission

  • Wu Genyou
Author information +
History +

Abstract

Humanity has long been situated in “world history”. Contemporary and future Chinese-language philosophy should move beyond its classical and modern configurations toward a future-oriented form, one that is rooted in the lived experience of the Chinese-speaking world while also articulating the new realities of “China in the world” and “the world within China”. In the face of philosophical questions shared by humankind in the context of world history, providing philosophical responses in Chinese should be regarded as a historical mission for present and future scholars engaged in philosophical research in the Chinese-speaking world. From the perspective of the traditional debate on the correspondence between names and realities, “Chinese-language philosophy” and “Chinese philosophy” each have their own objects of reflection, yet they also significantly intersect and overlap. This article rejects the notion of a “universal philosophy” advanced by some scholars, but does not deny the existence of philosophical questions common to all humanity. From a civilizational perspective, such shared philosophical questions may take distinct philosophical forms when expressed in different national languages. Within genuine world history, in responding to humanity’s shared philosophical questions, philosophies expressed in different national languages can generate philosophical answers that embody an “overlapping consensus”. One of the historical missions of contemporary and future Chinese-language philosophy is to offer its own responses to these shared philosophical questions of humanity.

Key words

World History / The Three Temporal Modes of Philosophy / Chinese-Language Philosophy / Chinese Philosophy / Shared Philosophical Questions

Cite this article

Download Citations
Wu Genyou. “World History”, “Chinese-Language Philosophy” and Their Historical Mission[J]. Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning. 2026, 11(1): 75-86 https://doi.org/10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20260107

Accesses

Citation

Detail

Sections
Recommended

/