Chinese Philosophy and Communism

The emergence of philosophy is associated with a profound turn in the spiritual history of mankind, which took place between the VIII and II centuries BC. In this era, the main categories that we think to this day have been developed, laid the foundations of world religions, and today remain the most influential. There has been a sharp turn in history, which meant the appearance of a person of the type that has survived to the present.

History of philosophy is usually divided into 5 stages.The philosophy of antiquity is the stage of the emergence of philosophical thought. The specificity of Greek philosophy, especially in the initial period of its development, is the desire to understand the essence of nature, space, the world as a whole. The philosophy of the Middle Ages was closely intertwined with theology, making up its integral part. In the era of Renaissance, the main focus was on man, which characterizes philosophy as anthropocentric. The most important distinguishing feature of this era is its orientation towards art. The philosophy of the New Age is characterized by an almost unlimited faith in the omnipotence of reason, which, as it seems to philosophers, is able to know nature and lead a person to a beautiful future.The latest philosophy, which is also called modern, is a very complex phenomenon that combines all the questions that philosophy has ever posed.

Basically, Western philosophy is referred to as the school of thought from Greek philosophy that influenced the greater part of Western civilization. In contrast, the Eastern philosophy is based mainly in Asia, more specifically the Chinese philosophy. Moreover, Western philosophy takes its roots from Rome and Christianity, specifically Judeo-Christianity. Eastern philosophy, on the other hand, is from Confucianism, Mahayana Buddhism, and Taoism. Thus is it safe to say that Eastern philosophy is classical Chinese, while Western philosophy is more Latin in its roots.

There are some differences between Eastern and Western philosophy.The main differences between the school of thought or the philosophies of the East and West are the West’s Individualism and the East’s Collectivism. The Eastern philosophy is drawn much more into groups or society or people’s actions and thoughts as one in order to find meaning in life as they try to get rid of the false “me” concept and find meaning in discovering the true “me” in relation to everything around them, or as part of a bigger scheme. In contrast, the Western civilization is more individualistic, trying to find the meaning of life here and now with self at the center as it is already given and part of the divine.

To summarize,as an engineer I can say that philosophy plays a significant role in engineering.Philosophy does not pay enough attention to engineering.However, engineers should not use this as an excuse to ignore philosophy. The argument here is that philosophy is important for development, at least for three reasons. First, philosophy is necessary so that engineers can understand and protect themselves from philosophical criticism.In fact, there is a tradition of engineering philosophy that is largely overlooked, even by engineers.Secondly, this is necessary to help engineers deal with professional ethical issues. Third, due to the philosophical nature, engineers can use a deeper engineering understanding.   

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