History is the memory of things that have been said and done. —Carl Baker
China has a long history and a long history, and in the long years, there have been wars and wars in this land, and one country after another has been established, and finally the history has been extended to the modern era, which has our current life.
It is undeniable that in the long river of years, no matter how the regime on the land of China changes, the sons and daughters of China have finally survived to the present by their tenacious perseverance, and have used their own efforts to create a better future for future generations. And all these efforts are commendable, and China's history is also worthy of affirmation. Obviously, this is the common idea of the sons and daughters of China on China, but such an idea has been questioned by Hegel, who even said that "the essence of Chinese history is that there is no history".
Hegel was a famous German philosopher whose era was later than Kant and one of the representatives of German idealistic philosophy in the 19th century. Hegel's ideas, marking the pinnacle of the German idealistic philosophical movement in the 19th century, had a profound impact on later philosophical schools such as existentialism and Marx's historical materialism.
Hegel was very controversial in later generations, with one faction believing that Hegel's ideas opened up a new way out for liberalism, while the other believing that Hegel's statism and nationalism provided the ideological basis for fascism.
Many people believe that Hegel's ideas have the essence of both liberalism and conservatism, providing a way out for liberalism. And such a person is naturally very willing to share his own views for people, and he is also very willing to express his opinions to every place in the world.
If you want to understand the meaning of Hegel's words, you need to go back to the time in which he lived. Hegel lived from August 27, 1770 to November 14, 1831, a period in which China was ruled by the three emperors Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Xianfeng.
Hegel's statement that "the essence of Chinese history is that there is no history" comes from the Principles of the Philosophy of Law, published in 1821, that is, when Hegel proposed this sentence, it was most likely in the reign of the two emperors, Jiaqing and Xianfeng.
At that time, Europe launched an industrial revolution, science and technology led people to a different future, but China lived a conservative life, the Qianlong Emperor even regarded himself as a heavenly dynasty, and the Jiaqing and Xianfeng emperors did not make greater contributions to social progress. In such an environment, in fact, Hegel did have the right to criticize China, because china at that time, even we ourselves looked down on it, because the incompetent rulers of the Qing Dynasty did not understand the principle of retreating if they did not advance, nor did they foresee the coming disaster.
In Hegel's eyes, the history of China is the feudal rule system under the centralized system that has been consistent for thousands of years. Although there have been many wars in the land of China during this period, and the old dynasty has been overthrown and a new dynasty has been established, in fact, these are all repeated events and have not undergone any substantial changes.
In fact, in such a social environment, Engel's speech does have merit, and China's conservatism at this time should indeed be criticized to a certain extent. However, it is not advisable for Hegel to directly deny Chinese history, after all, China's history has also experienced the history of the transition from slave society to feudal society, and has also created many classic things, such as the four great inventions of ancient times, and China's gunpowder has brought great enlightenment to the West. And all this cannot be denied. Therefore, it is impossible for people to directly deny the meaning of the existence of a country because of its temporary frustration and conservatism, which is undesirable and one-sided.