Grasping the Relationship between Tradition and Modernity in the Process of Modernization (Academic Balance)
How to handle the relationship between tradition and modernity is a fundamental issue in the process of world modernization.
Modernization is a historical process of evolution from tradition to modernity
Modernization is a historical category. With the advancement of economic globalization, modernization has become a global trend and trend. In fact, the development process of modernization is also a historical process of evolution from tradition to modernity.
Modern society is a concept relative to traditional society. Traditional society has been passed down from generation to generation, often referring specifically to pre industrial societies. The so-called tradition mainly includes the ideological and cultural, moral, customs, art, systems, and behavior inherited from history, as well as the material expressions that reflect the above connotations, such as traditional architecture and cultural relics. Tradition is a manifestation of the inheritance of historical development, which has an intangible and profound impact on people's concepts and behaviors. Modern society has developed on the basis of traditional society. The concept of modernity here is also relative to tradition. In the early stages of modernization, the widespread use of machines and the rapid development of modern factories triggered extensive and profound changes in social production and lifestyle. Entering the contemporary era, with the rapid development of informatization, intelligence, and rule of law based on industrialization, modernization has increasingly deepened its impact on social life. Overall, modernization encompasses both material and spiritual aspects, and is a comprehensive form of civilization that constantly enriches and develops.
Everything is a process of development, and modernization is no exception. In the process of modernization development, tradition continues to evolve into modernity, and modernity will gradually become tradition due to time's condensation, maturity, and shaping. Tradition and modernity are relative, mutually transforming, and cannot be separated. Chinese path to modernization is a modernization that has grown out of the land of China. The excellent traditional Chinese culture contains the world outlook, world outlook, social outlook, and moral outlook that the Chinese people have accumulated in their long-term production and life, as well as the unique value system, cultural connotation, and spiritual quality that the Chinese people view the world, society, and life. Through creative transformation and innovative development, the outstanding traditional Chinese culture has profoundly influenced and shaped the unique and distinctive cultural identity, spiritual temperament and Chinese characteristics of Chinese path to modernization. As a deep gene of civilization, it has organically integrated into the process of Chinese path to modernization, and has become an indispensable component of Chinese path to modernization. The process of creative transformation and innovative development is also a process of evolution from tradition to modernity. In this process, the excellent traditional Chinese culture is constantly transformed, expanded, and improved, and is endowed with new era connotations and modern expression forms. The most basic cultural genes of the Chinese nation contained in it are more suitable for contemporary China, more coordinated with modern society, and more integrated with real culture, bursting with enduring vitality, influence, and appeal.
Overall, modernization reflects the trend and trend of human social development and progress, and is the direction and benchmark of human civilization development and progress, containing vibrant and vibrant things and spirits. To promote Chinese path to modernization, we must first comply with this trend and trend, and constantly enhance the power and vitality of social development. It should also be noted that modernization is not perfect, and not everything labeled as "modern" is beautiful. While modernization brings progress and well-being to humanity, it also causes many confusions and challenges. For example, modern transportation such as cars, trains, and airplanes not only bring great convenience to people's production and life, but also bring unprecedented environmental pollution and other problems. The advantages and disadvantages of atomic energy, the Internet and artificial intelligence have a more profound and long-term impact. How to handle the relationship between science and ethics has become one of the important issues in the process of world modernization. The fact shows that modernization is a double-edged sword, and the deeper the level of modernization development, the more new problems and challenges will arise. For the new things in the process of modernization, we should hold a dialectical and rational attitude, deeply grasp the inevitability and importance of modernization, and at the same time, comprehensively and scientifically understand modernization. Through repeated tests of history and practice, we should constantly overcome its limitations, precipitate and promote the positive achievements in the washing of history and practice.
Dialectical understanding of the role of tradition in modernization
Tradition and modernity seem to be a pair of contradictions. Advocating modernity often requires breaking away from tradition and surpassing tradition. Otherwise, there can be no innovation, development, or progress. For example, without abandoning the old feudal morality of the traditional society, such as "three obediences and four virtues", there can be no liberation and free and comprehensive development of people in Chinese path to modernization. But it must be noted that modern transcendence of tradition is only partial and relative, rather than complete and absolute. The complete separation and abandonment of tradition without distinction is harmful, dangerous, and fundamentally impossible.
To promote modernization, we need to adopt a scientific and dialectical attitude towards tradition, identify tradition, absorb essence and develop excellent culture. Modern times have developed and changed on the basis of tradition, some are quantitative changes, and some are qualitative changes. No matter what kind of development or change occurs out of thin air, the starting point is always tradition. However, for this starting point, it is necessary to screen it according to the requirements of the times and values, and to discard, inherit, and retain it. Traditional elements with dross will have a restraining and hindering effect on modern society, forming a reverse force. For such traditions, we must resolutely abandon and eradicate them. On the contrary, progressive traditions can promote, supplement, and correct modernization, while they should be creatively transformed and innovatively developed to promote and carry forward in the process of modernization. The modernization process indicates that many historical traditions cannot be completely negated. For example, the family concept in Chinese culture is one of the oldest traditions, and its content can be updated, but the most basic value cannot be cancelled or denied. Many historical traditions can also compensate for and correct the shortcomings and drawbacks in the process of modernization.
Without the excellent traditional Chinese culture as the basis and participation in the integration of modernization, it is impossible to be Chinese path to modernization. The excellent traditional Chinese culture embodies values such as serving the public, the people as the foundation of the country, governing with virtue, reforming and innovating, appointing people with merit, integrating heaven and humanity, striving for self-improvement, carrying wealth with virtue, promoting good faith and harmony, and being kind to neighbors, which have important implications for solving the problems faced by humanity in modern society. Carrying forward these excellent traditional cultures plays an important role in correcting the deviation in the process of world modernization, creating a good quality of life in promoting Chinese path to modernization, promoting the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, and maintaining social harmony and stability. In order to correctly handle the relationship between tradition and modernity in the process of promoting Chinese path to modernization, we must fully explore the important role of Chinese excellent traditional culture in cohering spiritual power, maintaining emotional ties, promoting personality education, promoting the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, and constantly endow Chinese path to modernization with profound Chinese civilization.
Properly handling the relationship between tradition and modernity through differentiation
To promote Chinese path to modernization and correctly handle the relationship between tradition and modernity, we must be good at discrimination. On the one hand, it is necessary to distinguish modernity, especially various things and phenomena in the process of modernization, and correctly distinguish what is in line with the direction of historical development, positive and healthy, and what is negative, decadent, contrary to the direction of historical development and the fundamental interests of the people. On the other hand, it is necessary to identify the tradition, correctly distinguish which is the essence and which is the dross, which is the valuable wealth accumulated by human civilization for a long time, which is something that can not be missed with positive significance, which is an important element that can be integrated into modern society through transformation and renewal, and which is rigid, conservative, ignorant, backward, and incompatible with the development of the times and civilization progress. In addition, it is necessary to compare and distinguish various things and phenomena in modernization between China and foreign countries. We should not only compare and distinguish between progress and backwardness, positivity and negativity, openness and isolation, civilization and ignorance, but also compare the actual national conditions of each country to find the most suitable direction and path for modernization. We should boldly absorb the proven advanced modernization achievements from abroad; We must firmly reject negative factors and phenomena that may cause harm, or things that are not suitable for China's national conditions. We should not only vigorously promote our own excellent traditions, but also exchange and integrate with world civilizations.
So, what are the criteria for identification? The answer to this question is quite complex. In general, we should look at whether it meets the direction and requirements of human society, whether it is conducive to promoting social productivity and social civilization progress, whether it is in line with the fundamental interests and aspirations of the broadest people, whether it is in line with the recognized values and norms of human society, and whether it is in line with the specific realities of our country.
Realizing modernization is the goal that the CPC and the Chinese people are assiduously pursuing.At the same time, we should carefully protect the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation accumulated in the long historical process, promote the adaptation of the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation to the socialist society, carry forward the cultural spirit that spans time and space, transcends national boundaries, is full of eternal charm, and has contemporary value, and build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation in promoting Chinese path to modernization.
