Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c15.s2.t8.5

v2.c15.s2.t8.5

His most influential work, *The Cultures of East and West and their Philosophies* (*Dongxiwenhua ji qu zhexue*) was published in 1921. He divided the world into three distinguished sections - culture, Western, Chinese and Indian - with each section being governed by its separate philosophical roots and logic. The western culture characterised materialism that sought to conquer environment, nature and other people in order to fulfill material needs. The Chinese culture strove not to conquer, but to harmonise itself with the environment and nature to draw mental satisfaction. The Indian culture stressed that the tension between humans and their environment is ultimately illusory and the road to human happiness lies in spiritual enlightenment, through which this tension is overcome by being completely ignorant. In so far, as each of these three cultures directed itself to satisfy human needs, they served legitimate purpose in different epochs. In the May Fourth era of iconoclasm and the intense debate over nationalism and modernity, Liang Shuming thus sought to establish relevance of the Chinese Confucian culture.