Jiang Yi: Looking at this era with the eyes of a future

【Scholar Profile】Jiang Yi, Distinguished Professor of Shanxi University, Vice Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Teaching of Philosophy in Colleges and Universities of the Ministry of Education, Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Modern Foreign Philosophy Society, Honorary President of the Beijing Philosophical Society. His major works include Wittgenstein: A Post-Philosophical Culture, Mirror Images of Thought, A Course in Analytic Philosophy, Modern Anglo-American Analytic Philosophy (editor-in-chief), Western Philosophy Toward the New Century (editor-in-chief), etc.

At the end of 2021, one of the most heated topics discussed in the domestic philosophical circles is the "metaverse", which may surprise people. A "new word" originally coined by science fiction writers more than twenty years ago has caused a lot of turmoil in China's philosophical circles. Whatever interpretation scholars have given to this word, it seems to me that what this word brings is not the meaning of "transcendence" or "meta" in the traditional sense, but a bold vision of the future of mankind, a possible prospect for mankind to move towards the future! This is a futuristic vision, but also a philosophical vision! As the New Year 2022 approaches, I would like to re-examine this special era in which we live with the eyes of this futurist!

Here, the "vision of the future" is not the scientific perspective brought about by modern technological products, but the philosophical perspective premised on the setting of future human beings, that is, the overall perspective that the future prospects that human beings face together may bring. Looking at the development of philosophy in the 21st century, we see more of the differentiation of ideas and the division of scholarship, the meticulous deepening of different philosophical fields provides a solid basis for the construction of philosophical disciplines, and the progress of science and technology provides an empirical basis for philosophical cognitive activities, but these seem to be far away from our usual philosophical concepts. From the current philosophical research, we cannot feel that philosophy is embodied in the common wisdom of human thought, whether in the solution of specific life and social problems, or in dealing with common human problems related to economic, political and global change, we do not seem to see the figure of philosophers, and we do not feel the charm of philosophy. Looking back at the past 2021, the global COVID-19 epidemic is unpredictable, and the progress of science and technology seems to have made us forget the value of our own existence. It is in this situation that we need the overall vision of philosophy, and the future vision of philosophy, because the holistic view can establish our position in the empirical world for us, so as not to lose our own value in the ever-changing world; and the future vision can help us recognize the problems and difficulties of the current era, and make our minds more sober and calm. These are the result of the nature of philosophical thinking, and the fundamental demands of philosophy in our time.

In the face of the great changes in the pattern of the times, philosophers need to re-examine the changes in this special era with the eyes of the future. First of all, the study of the future of mankind will become an important part of philosophical research, which is not only based on the latest achievements of contemporary science and technology, but also reflects on the profound changes and limits brought about by the current scientific and technological revolution for social progress and social development from the perspective of the future, especially to re-establish the image of human existence in the universe. "Xeno-dimensional", "The Matrix", "metaverse", etc. are no longer fashionable terms in some science fantasies, but have become the reality of life that human beings must face. Second, thinking about the meaning and value of human life from the perspective of human beings as a whole will become an important topic that philosophers must ask, and the question of meaning and value will become the core of philosophical research. The meaning here is not only linguistic, logical or psychological, but also existential or metaphysical, a major problem of human existence; the value here is not for human beings, but in the relationship between human beings and the world (the universe), which is the basic condition for human beings to exist as a species. Third, ethics and morality will become a special focus of philosophers, and the reconstruction of social relations will become the core content of philosophical research. How to construct a social relationship is not only a theoretical problem, but also a practical problem. Thus, in the new year, philosophers will devote more attention to examining how social practice works, and there will be a real "turn in practice" in philosophical research.

The New Year's bells have been ringing and 2022 has arrived! Let us re-examine this special era with the eyes of the future, and use philosophical thinking and practical wisdom to move towards a new future for mankind!

Editor: Chen Xuanyu