Blending ancient Confucian wisdom with Marxist materialism, Li Zehou reveals how human evolution and cultural practices shape our emotional lives - challenging Western assumptions that feelings are purely individual. His theory of "sedimented emotion" explains why art and ritual remain vital for social harmony in our tech-driven age.
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Li Zehou's philosophical contributions represent a unique synthesis of Chinese traditional thought and Western modernization, particularly relevant to questions of aesthetics, ethics, and the nature of human consciousness. His theory of "sedimentation" (jidian) exemplifies how he grappled with questions like "Is truth more like a map we draw or a territory we explore?" by suggesting that human consciousness and cultural development occur through historical layers of accumulated experience. In addressing whether "Ancient wisdom is more reliable than modern science," Li developed a nuanced perspective that neither fully embraced nor rejected either tradition or modernity. His concept of "subjectality" (zhutixing) offered a sophisticated response to questions like "Is consciousness fundamental to reality?" by arguing that human subjectivity emerges through the historical interaction between biological evolution and social-cultural development. Li's work on aesthetics particularly resonates with questions like "When you see a sunset, are you discovering its beauty or creating it?" His theory of "sedimentation of the aesthetic" suggests beauty emerges from the interaction between biological capabilities and cultural accumulation, addressing the fundamental query "Is beauty cultural or universal?" He argued that aesthetic experience involves both universal human capacities and culturally specific formations. His engagement with questions like "Should art serve society?" and "Should tradition limit interpretation?" reflects his unique position on the relationship between individual expression and social responsibility. Li's concept of "emotion-rationality" (qing-li) suggests that aesthetic experience integrates both emotional response and rational understanding, speaking to questions like "Can something be simultaneously true and false?" In considering "Is meaning found or created?" Li's philosophy suggests a both/and answer through his theory of how human
consciousness emerges from historical-cultural sedimentation while actively shaping new cultural forms. His work on the relationship between technology and human development addresses questions like "Could science one day explain everything about human consciousness?" by suggesting that technological advancement must be integrated with humanitarian concerns. Li's interpretation of Confucian ethics in modern context engages with questions like "Should we judge historical figures by modern ethical standards?" and "Is moral truth objective or relative to cultures?" His pragmatic materialism suggests that moral truths emerge through historical development while maintaining certain universal aspects of human experience. Regarding questions of political philosophy such as "Should we value unity over diversity?" and "Should tradition limit moral progress?" Li's work suggests that modernization should neither completely reject tradition nor uncritically accept Western models. His concept of "anthropological-ontological" structure speaks to questions like "Are we part of nature or separate from it?" by suggesting humans are naturally social beings whose essence is shaped by cultural-historical development. Through his philosophical system, Li addresses fundamental questions about knowledge, reality, and human nature while offering a unique synthesis of Chinese and Western thought that remains relevant to contemporary debates about modernization, cultural identity, and human development.
- ["Despite government restrictions during the Cultural Revolution, secret philosophy discussions were held in a Beijing basement where participants memorized and discussed Kant's works.", "After emigrating to Colorado in 1992, daily hikes in the Rocky Mountains became an integral part of developing the theory of 'emotion-reason' synthesis.", "During childhood in rural Hunan, Buddhist temple bells would ring each morning, leading to a lifelong integration of traditional Chinese aesthetics with modern philosophy."]