Yi Zhongtian put forward a point in his work that there are two kinds of logic in the world: ordinary logic and "Chinese-style logic". Under this logic, people tend to ignore the facts and focus more on attitudes, motivations, or intimacy.
1. The beginning and end of Wang Hui's plagiarism
In January 2012, Southern Weekly published an article by Wang Binbin questioning the alleged plagiarism of the well-known scholar Wang Hui. The article was supposed to spark a discussion about academic integrity, and who knew that events were completely off track.
After the article was published, many people began to accuse Wang Binbin of inappropriate attitude and did not pay attention to whether Wang Hui really plagiarized. This reaction is typical of "Chinese logic" – when confronted with facts, people are more inclined to evaluate the attitude of the person who asks the question.
Despite ample evidence that Wang's paper contains a large amount of unsourced content, supporters of Wang insist that Wang's "attitude problem" is more important. The peculiarity of this logic is that Wang Hui is really plagiarizing, and the critics have a mild attitude, and his behavior can be tolerated to a certain extent.
2. The trade-off between motive and fact
In another public incident, a corrupt official tried to save his head and exposed the crimes of another corrupt official. Normally, such behaviour is not well-intentioned, but it helps to fight corruption and should be encouraged.
In "Chinese logic," people are more concerned with the whistleblower's motives than the positive consequences of his actions. This logic leads to the ignorance of facts and right and wrong, and as long as the motive is questioned, the correctness of the behavior is also denied.
3. The opposition between intimacy and reason
In Chinese society, intimacy often plays a decisive role in judgment. If someone is "self-family", whatever he says will be considered correct. If it is a hostile person, the correct point of view will also be opposed. This phenomenon is prevalent in politics, business, and even everyday life.
Fourth, the squid, mad dog and brain-dead characters
Yi Zhongtian divides people who like to use "Chinese logic" into three categories: squid, mad dogs, and brain-dead. Squid are those who deliberately obfuscate the public, and they have a knack for introducing extraneous elements into discussions, complicating otherwise clear questions.
Mad dogs are irrational aggressors who bite people at sight. The brain-dead are those who blindly follow the trend and do not consider the facts. These three characters are often active in social events, and they cause a lot of unnecessary social friction by ignoring facts, logic, and reason.
V. The Dilemma of Social Dialogue
This logical approach affects the judgment of the individual and profoundly affects the quality of social dialogue. When discussing any major issue in society, people are not basing their views on facts and figures, but more by attacking the other person's motives, attitudes, or identities. This phenomenon has made what should have been constructive and forward-looking public dialogue fraught with strife and division, making it difficult to reach any meaningful consensus.
6. Case Study: The Controversy between Wang Binbin and Wang Hui
Mr. Wang's accusations against Mr. Wang would have sparked a profound discussion about academic integrity. The focus of the discussion quickly shifted to Wang's personal attitude. Neither supporters nor opponents delved into the impact of Wang's actions on the academic community, and were mired in endless personal attacks.
7. The influence of public opinion
Under this "Chinese logic", public opinion is often dominated by emotional voices. Rational analysis is often less attractive than emotional outbursts.
This phenomenon is especially evident on online social platforms, where a post about an incident can quickly be inundated with emotional comments, and calm voices trying to analyze the facts struggle to gain enough attention.
8. Concluding Events: Revisiting Wang Binbin and Wang Hui
The story of Wang Binbin and Wang Hui has become a microcosm of public controversy under "Chinese logic". This incident reveals how people can abandon rational judgment when confronted with public figures and sensitive topics
It reflects the logical dilemma of society as a whole in dealing with complex problems. Under this logic, truth is less important than emotions, which is a great challenge for a society committed to progress and development.
9. Personal opinions
This reflects the traditional culture that values relationships and face, and may be a strategy to adapt to the social environment. However, this logic hinders the modernization of society and the development of rational thinking. This logical approach has played an important role in Chinese society, influencing everything from politics to everyday life.