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The Tragic Duality of Man: Liu Xiaobo on Western Philosophyfrom Kant to Sartre"

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The Tragic Duality of Man: Liu Xiaobo on Western Philosophyfrom Kant to Sartre CHONG, Woei-Lien #€Ë, "The Tragic Duality of Man: Liu Xiaobo on Western Philosophyfrom Kant to Sartre" Thisarticle was first published in: A.J. Saichand K.W. Radtke(eds), China's Modemisation: Westemísatíon andAcculturation, Stuttgart: Steiner Ver\ag, Miinchener Ost-As iat ís c he Studien,YoL67,1993, pp. 111-163. This digital versionis madeavailable on the Modem ChineseLiterature and CultureResource Center of Ohio StateUniversity with pemission ol SteineÍ Verlag.Reproduction in any form is prohibitedwithout prior permission from the author and the publisher. About the author: Dr. Woei-LienChong graduated in Sinologyand Philosophy from Leiden Universiry,The Netherlands,and is affrliatedto the LeidenInstitute ofArea Studies(LIAS). Shehas published widely on contemporaryChinese philosophyand film, andwas the managingeditor of CÀrzaInformaÍíon; A QuarterlyJoumal on ContemporqryChinese Studies ïrom 1986to 2003. Contactaddress: Dr. W.L. Chong LeidenInstitute ofArea Studies(LIAS) Faculryof the Humanities LeidenUniversity ArsenaalstraatI P.O.Box 9515 2300RA Leiden The Netherlands. E: [email protected]: [email protected] 6 THE TRAGIC DUALITY OF MAN: LIU XIAOBO ON WESTERNPHILOSOPHY FROM KANT TO SARTRE woBr LrENCHoNct Although 'Marxism-Lenirism, Mao Zedong Thought' is still the official doctdne ir Clnna, its intellectualand political contenthas long been discreditedby lhe terror of the 'CultuÍal Revolu- tion' (1966-1976).Concemed Chinese authon, coÍmenÍng on the presentstate of Chineseso- cietyand cultuÍe, oftÊn spêak of 'a deseÍt'and 'a vacuum'. It is againstthis backgrourdthat, since the ending of China'scultuÍal isolation in 19?8,a large' scale (re-) iÍtÍoduction, faÍlslation, and disseminaÍon of Westemphilosophical works has been undert?ken.In artistic circles, the interestin Nietzsche,FÍeud, and Sartrewas particulaily intense. The two forÍner had already been exiênsively sfudied and discussedby [Íominent Chinese scholaÍsand wÍters of the 1920sand 1930s,thus making theiÍ woÍksmoÍe Íeadily accessible in post-Mao China.2 The phitosophical heritage of the West, as well as the íoÍmeÍly discíêdited 1 Theauthor wishes to expessheÍ sjÍceregÍatitude toMr. JohnT. Ma, ComelisJ. Kuiken,Ceor Hinr zen,Prof. Jonalhan UngeÍ, À,1r. Wan weiying oÍThe Universityof MichigaD,À{J. Kul Kahlerand Mr. Keith Ra8ethof The Universiryof lowà LibraÍies for fteir kind assislàncein pÍoviding imPortatt naterjals, and to Dr- GenrdVisser, Prot Will L.Idema,Prof. Kurt Radtke, Dr. BonnieMcDougall, Dr. SytseStrijbos, D. Jaap den HollandeÍ,Gu Xin, Paulin. Millinglon-lvard and Gillian van Be€sÈBymefor their helpful omnents on earlierdrafts of this paper.The iníerpÍetÀtionof Liu Xiaobo's writings presentedhere is, ofcoune, the auihor's soleresponsibility. 2 On Freud,see Wang Ning's iwo-paÍ aÍticle, TheReception of ReudiánismiÍ ModemChinese Lit' elat!'Íe",ChiM Iníomation,Vol. V. No.4, spring1991, pp. 58-?1,and Vol. VI, No. 1,Summer 1991, pp. 46- 54.A recentarticie on the receplion of Nietzschein Chináis RaoulDavid Findeisen , 'Die Last der Ku llur. V icÍ Falsiudienzur chinesischenNietzsche Rezeption (I , [)' . M inin' Sini.a (Bonn), 198S,No. 2, pp. 1 42 and 190, No. I, pp-140. Se alsoDavid Kely, "TheHighest Chinadomi Nietssche and Ihe Chinese Mind, 1907- 1989",in craham Pà.Íkes(€d .), Nietzsc tu in AsianTho shr (Chicaso:Universiry oí ChicagoPress, 199 1). 112 WOEILTEN CHONG ChinesetÍadition, aÍe now beingsearched for ideaswhich maybe usedto fcrtiliscthc post-Mao cultuÍal 'descÍt', iurd basicphilosophical tenets of Maqjsm-Leninism are being underminedin óe pÍocess.For theauthorities, the explosion of inteÍestin foreignthought and culture is anunwanted side-effectof its 'OpenDoor' policy,as theywould havepÍeferÍed to limit the importof things foíeign to technologyand material pÍoducB only. Whilc post Mao liteÍatuÍe ànd art have been inspiÍed by the ContinentalEuropcan ÍaditioD of psycho-aniLlysisand Existentialism,Íeform-minded political theodstsin China havc. at the sanc time, beenadvocating thc ideasof the British lradihon fÍom Hobbesto Lockc, in suppon of thciÍ call ÍoÍ private enterprise,maÍket economy,and paíliamenlaÍy democÍacy.' Marxism-Leruflsm in China, as a result, is now being attackedfÍom at lealt two najor directions,one of which follows the BÍitish Íational and institutional approachestablished by Locke, and the other thc Continental antr-rationaland aesthcticapproach established by Nietzsche,which hirsphilosophicál iÍnplica- liorlsgoing far beyondthe immediate spheÍe of economyaDd politics. Although thesetwo approachesare philosophically difficult to Íeconcilc, thcrc is at least one poslMao ChineseauthoÍ in whose thought they can be found in combination: the conlÍoveÍsial liteÍarycritic Liu Xiaobo(b. 1955).In his wrilings,he makesextensive use ot recentChinêse sourceswhich reflect dre impressivescope and depth which the study of Wcstem phiiosophy irl Chinahas achieved in lessthan ten years. MoÍeover, his essaysconvcy the acule sense ofcrisis of Chineseintêllectual debates in lhe 1980s,debates in whichhe has been an active pa.rticipant. A former lectureÍin Literaturc at Beijing Normal University, he now enjoys woÍldwide lame lor his Íole in fie 1989protest movement in Beijing.He lelï re U.S.A.,where he wason a lectuÍe toul, especiallyto join fic movetuent.On 2 June,he oÍSaniseda four personhunger-slrike in Tia- naDmenSquare, which, according to the manifestohe andlis friendsissued, had the dualohjec- tive of protesting against the iÍrposition of maíial law, and encouragingdemocratic'behaviour amongthe students.Later, he helpedevacuaÍe the Squarebefore the foops enteÍed,thereby saving many lives.4He was arrestealon 6 JuDe,ard spentover seventeenmonÍrs in coÍfinement before heingreleased lollowing hi\ Eialon 26January leq 1.5 As a well-known, non-confoÍmistliteÍary critic, he is one of thosewho Srewup dudng the 'Cul- turalRevolution'.I! the 1980s,it wasespecially this Senemtion which, out of disillusionmentwith 3 For three concreleeramples, see He Baogang, Democracyas Viewed by Thre ChineseLiberals: Wei Jinssheng,Hu Ping,andYzn Jiaqi",China InJorÍaridn, Vol. VI, No.2, Autumn1991. osp. p.40. 4 FroÍnlhe eyewitness accouni of Liu's actionsin theSquare by a ïelow-hunger stsiker, thc Taiwancsc popsiÍgeÍ Hou Dejian, in KaiÍars 2dzhi,Jnly 1990, pp. 30 48. exccrpteddd translatedin W.L. Chong,"The Crackdown'sAitermath: Notes on Exiles, Elderly Officials 'On l€ave' and a Radi't Ship', Chind Iníornation. Vol. V, No. 2, Àutumn1990, pp. 12-15.See also Geremie Bàrmé, "confession, Redemption. and Deaihr Liu Xaobo andthe ProtestMovemènt of 1989",in Geor8eHicks (ed.), ?tu 8/aten Miïor: ChinaAfte,Tianan rutr (Essex/chicaso:lnnsman Group, 1990), pp. 52-99. 5 Forí reporion hi! b1a'l.seèB?iji sRe'ietr,4-10February 1991.pp.26 27. ll3 orthodoxComrnunism, sct out to seekoew paths in literahueirnd the-arts. It shouldbe emphasised óat Liu Xiaobo'sideas :uld slyle of writingaÍe much too aggressiveand idios',ncraÍc to fte laste of manyof his contempoÍaries,and his opinionscannot be saidto be representativeol any group ir the Chines€intellectual scene. He is nevcrthelessinteresting to thosewho study $e history of the Chinese.eactioDtro the West,as he has explicitlyplaccd himseu in dle lÍadition of those Chinesemodemisers who advocrted'totalWestemisalion'. Todity ás much as yesterday,this anlountsto a volutary selï-exconmunicalionfronr most of Chincscoducaled sociery, especially whenexpressed in óe blunt malnlerfor whichLiu is notoÍious.He hasantagonised mimy pcople by his cynicairemàÍk that Chinese society has Íeached such a degreeof bankrultcythal it is be- yond all capacitylor self-rcgeeration, ard canonly be cuÍedby 'dlreeltundÍed yeÀfi of lbreign colo sation'(rdródi rlianzhimindi).6 ApaÍ frotu his ljteÍarycÍilicisÍtl, Liu haswritlen books and aÍticlcs in which he lalnentsdle de- cline ol-Chineseaí andculture, contsasting them with what he tegardsas re superiorachicve- mentsof thc West.His doctoralthesis, Ácrtraticr and MÍtn's Freedom,sets forth a Schillerian vicw of aÍ asthe fÍeê plÀy of theimagination, by whichmodcm man is spiriluallyliberated tioin the tensionscngendered by thc rationalismand iunctiomlism imposed upon him by his economlc rntqestsand the scientillc world-view,7 a themewhich also playcd an imPortantrole in fusearlier attnckon the prominentMaÍxist philosopheÍ Li Zehou,whoÍt he accusedof hfing to revivetie 'rationalistic'and'despotic'Chinese tradilion: Á Critiq e ofChoíce:A DialagueW ith Intelle ctual LeaderLi 71)hoa.8He atsopublishcd a lengfiy volumeentrded fft? Fog of Meídphysics,twhieh containshis peÍsonalobservations on the hisloryof Wcstcmphilosophy. lt emphasisecldre great diversityof Westemdrought, and the proÍrinent place which it accordstro the individualand emo- tionallife, asopposed to whathe callslbe 'collectivisÍt'and 'rationalism' of both Chineselradr- tion andthe contemporaay Communist system. Finally, he stiÍed up anespecially 8Íeat amount of dustwidr a long aÍticleentitled "ConlempornÍy Chinese InÍellectuals and Politics", in \Jvhichhe criticisedthe Chineseintelligentsia Íbr havingallowed themselves to be eilhermisled or co-opted bv theCommunist regime,l{) ó From thc contrc,vènialinleniew with Hons Kong repoÍer Jin Z-hons,"Wenran 'heima' Liu Xaobo fangwenji (An lntÈrviewwirh the 'Black HoBe' of the Literary Wo.ld, Uu Xia.oho),JieÍans yuebao, 1988, No. 12. 'I Shekneilu rcn de ?tloe, (B€iji8g 1988),hereafter abbreviated as Á"srErt.r. The thesiswas reprinted tDselherwith a numbeÍ of dticles by othersin Liu Xilabo, B.iju, shcnrei,,io,
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