First time reader here, and I absolutely loved this piece. Decoding Huning's thinking has a lot of explanatory power! On a related note, I wonder whether Huning has written anything on India (w.r.t. economic, social, military, trade matters)?
"If, amid this general upheaval, you fail to link the idea of rights to individual self-interest, which is the only fixed point in the human heart, what else have you got to rule the world except fear?[42] To this question Wang Huning would answer: “We have science and technology.”"
I very much doubt that Wang, or any Chinese, would give that answer, for they have a two-thousand year old civilization based on the principle of compassion, ren, which is working better than ever today, while we have neither a civilization nor a culture of any kind.
First time reader here, and I absolutely loved this piece. Decoding Huning's thinking has a lot of explanatory power! On a related note, I wonder whether Huning has written anything on India (w.r.t. economic, social, military, trade matters)?
I’ve enjoyed your writing for years now. Just went back to check and saw the recent (July 2023) interest in cybernetics, which I emphatically share.
On this Huning point: Yuk Hui’s The Question Concerning Technology in China is essential.
And more broadly, when you invoke “apparatus”—Flusser is the best on this.
"If, amid this general upheaval, you fail to link the idea of rights to individual self-interest, which is the only fixed point in the human heart, what else have you got to rule the world except fear?[42] To this question Wang Huning would answer: “We have science and technology.”"
I very much doubt that Wang, or any Chinese, would give that answer, for they have a two-thousand year old civilization based on the principle of compassion, ren, which is working better than ever today, while we have neither a civilization nor a culture of any kind.
Eh, Wang doesn't seem to have a lot of confidence in that---not when his book was published in any case.
If I were to guess the thing thousands of years of Chinese civilization is based on, "compassion" wouldn't be it.
If you were to read Confucius, you'd know it is.
Confucius and 'Imperial China,' by Mote, who describes compassion in action.
Wang Huning isn't Tocqueville the same way Goebbels isn't Nietzsche
I do not think Wang is at the Tocqueville level.
I do think he makes an interesting point of comparison.
Definitely need to pick this up, thanks for introducing it!