Fang Zhaohui:The Particularity and Universality of Civilizations

Date:2025-07-14

Professor at School of Humanities, Tsinghua University

In the process of human civilization development, those highly modernized civilizations are more easily understood by people as having universal value significance, but human civilization cannot be forcibly pulled into a unified mode of development. Human civilization can be roughly divided into seven major civilizations, but this does not mean that small civilizations will not develop and grow into important forms of civilization in the future. In the exchange of different cultures, the pursuit of universality inevitably leads to the suppression of particularity, but without universality, it is also impossible, which becomes a paradox. The universality and particularity of civilization are a global challenge, not a simple theoretical problem. No one can design a universally applicable future for humanity, but it can be planned. All cultures and civilizations have universality and particularity, so we demand unity while preserving diversity. In the mutual exchange between different cultures and civilizations,we should learn to dialogue and listen, and in the form of learning, gather consensus from all parties and build a better world together.

Edit:董丽娜

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Fang Zhaohui:The Particularity and Universality of Civilizations

From:Author: 2025-07-14 11:11

Professor at School of Humanities, Tsinghua University

In the process of human civilization development, those highly modernized civilizations are more easily understood by people as having universal value significance, but human civilization cannot be forcibly pulled into a unified mode of development. Human civilization can be roughly divided into seven major civilizations, but this does not mean that small civilizations will not develop and grow into important forms of civilization in the future. In the exchange of different cultures, the pursuit of universality inevitably leads to the suppression of particularity, but without universality, it is also impossible, which becomes a paradox. The universality and particularity of civilization are a global challenge, not a simple theoretical problem. No one can design a universally applicable future for humanity, but it can be planned. All cultures and civilizations have universality and particularity, so we demand unity while preserving diversity. In the mutual exchange between different cultures and civilizations,we should learn to dialogue and listen, and in the form of learning, gather consensus from all parties and build a better world together.

Edit:董丽娜

The copyright of the article and the picture belongs to the original author. If there is any infringement, please contact to delete it