The Predicament and Way out of Existence: A Comparative Study of Heidegger and Confucian Thought

Zhang Wenxiu

Abstract: Chinese philosophy connects phenomenon and the essence by the sensible polymerized and divergent thinking, such as the so-called “teaching through matters”, and “reaching the law of nature through common sense”, so it is characterized by a non-framework in the respects of understanding and expression. Philosophy of life is the core of Confucianism, and the Confucian politics and ethics are the guarantee for the perfection of life. The Confucian studies of life start from the essence of life, i.e. the mind. The “illustrious virtue” in The Great Learning and the “nature of heaven” in The Doctrine of the Mean are the theoretical foundation of the Confucian studies of life. On the idea of meaning of life, Heidegger thinks that the world is meaningless, and meaning is endowed to nature by human beings; while Confucianism holds that the world is meaningful, and men should learn from the spiritual law of nature. Heidegger analyzes human existence based on the state of “common people”, and the Confucian thought focuses on the “learning of sage”. On the way out of life, the ontology of Heidegger’s phenomenology tends to be an approach of pure thought, which advocates transcending the condition of common people and returning to the authentic self through the way of withdrawal-making up-choosing; while the Confucian learning of being a sage comes from the life practice, and provides more real interpretation of life progress, so it is a practical road that could lead human being out of the dilemma of bewilderment, indulgence, and insanity.