論說中國與論說歐洲

Speaking of China / Speaking of Europe

本文檢視歐洲，特別是法國，自十八世紀以來對中國之評述，由之分析如何以定義文化認同方式建構歐洲性與中國性。探討中國性與歐洲性並非主張東方與西方不可比較，因為此二者間差異實奠基於將中國與政治上及哲學上之儒家作為歐洲來理解的框架之中。此乃為普遍性人文主義作用於中，因其並不視個人主義與社群主義為對立二極，而是連結了古典與現代，並藉由人類共同的歷史界定歐洲（或法國）與中國偉大文明。

A focus on European, particularly French, commentaries about China examines the ways that Europeanness and Chineseness have been structured by attempts to define cultural identities inexorably linked to commonly shared projects: adherences to historical estate defined by universality and civilization. Interrogating Chineseness and Europeaness does not propose incommensurability between East and West, for such a difference is framed within an understanding of China and— politically and philosophically—Confucianism, as a Europeanism. This is a universal humanism that operates because it proposes not an opposition between individualism and communitarianism, but because it ties the classical to the modern (court government and export capitalism), and defines the shaping of great civilizations, here Europe (or France) and China, through common heritage.