Philosophies that Separate Two Worlds

Chinese philosophy embraces a holistic worldview, seeing the universe as an interconnected whole rather than a collection of fragmented parts. It acknowledges contradictions but emphasizes harmony as the ultimate goal, viewing opposing forces as interdependent and complementary. In this framework, humanity transcends individualism, prioritizing community and collective success through cooperation. At its core, Chinese thought values unity, balance, and peaceful coexistence—favoring collaboration over conflict, and mutual benefit over adversary elimination (see Understanding China: Yellow River and the Character of the Chinese Nation).

Grounded in collectivism, Chinese philosophy places the well-being of society above individual gain, advocating for social harmony based on public morality. Human rights are understood not just as individual entitlements, but as responsibilities toward the collective good, emphasizing safe, equitable, and harmonious living conditions for all. Chinese law protects personal freedoms, including the pursuit of wealth within legal frameworks, but imposes limits on special interests to preserve the broader interests of the people and society as a whole (see Understanding China: Geography, Confucianism, and Chinese-Style Modernization).

Economically, China promotes the vision of “common prosperity” through a hybrid model that includes state-owned enterprises, private businesses, and market dynamics. This approach encourages individual initiative while ensuring a balance between personal success and public welfare. The state plays a key role in preventing capital from undermining societal equity and stability.

Politically, China emphasizes the central role of the state in fostering unity, managing differences, protecting vulnerable groups, building infrastructure, and advancing the common good. It upholds democratic centralism and national cohesion, rejecting partisanship and decentralization. Chinese democracy, often described as a “people’s democracy,” is consensus-oriented and consultative, contrasting with the adversarial nature of many Western electoral systems. As a “whole-process democracy,” it involves citizens in policymaking, implementation, and oversight, ensuring that public decisions reflect broad input and are carefully deliberated. By minimizing partisan strife, Chinese politics seeks to prioritize shared prosperity, social harmony, and egalitarian development.

On the global stage, China adheres to five key principles: mutual respect for sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. It promotes international cooperation, peaceful development, global common prosperity, and the vision of a shared future for humanity.

In contrast, Western thought tends to adopt an atomistic worldview, interpreting the world as composed of independent and often competing entities. Western individualism views people as autonomous actors with conflicting interests, heavily influenced by Darwinian notions such as “the struggle for existence” and “survival of the fittest.” This outlook fosters a “law of the jungle” mentality, where defeating or overpowering others is seen as a necessity for survival (see Darwinism and Confucianism). Western culture emphasizes self-reliance, individual achievement, and personal success, often placing self-interest and strategies above collective well-being and moral concerns. The Western human rights rhetoric is highly deceptive. While ostensibly promoting universal freedom, it in fact only serves a privileged minority, enabling them to exploit competitive advantages to defeat the disadvantaged majority, thereby controlling legislation, the economy, media, military affairs, and foreign policy to benefit themselves.

Economically, Western nations often champion unfettered capitalism, driven by self-interest and competition. While this approach can spur growth in the short term, it also leads to unchecked greed, inequality, and social injustice, allowing capital to dominate national interests, benefitting only a small elite at the expense of broader society. The result is that the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and for most people, "the pursuit of happiness" has become an illusion. The prioritization of profit over production will inevitably lead to the hollowing out of the economy, eventually triggering systemic crises (see America Is in Big Trouble).

Politically, Western democracies are often beset by partisanship, polarization, and social fragmentation. Despite their formal structures, these systems can devolve into political theater—dominated by empty promises, sensationalism, and ideological nonsense. Politicians funded by special interests work more for their donors than for ordinary citizens, leaving voters with limited influence beyond casting a ballot every few years (see Democracy vs. Plutocracy).

In international affairs, Western powers frequently operate from a hegemonic mindset, employing tactics such as divide and conquer, sanctions, military interventions, and regime change. These actions have destabilized regions and undermined global peace. The success of the West historically hinges on the conquest, colonization, genocide, exploitation, and plunder of weaker nations.

For a long time, the Chinese struggled to comprehend Western behaviors, yet they have now come to understand its underlying logic. Unless Western plutocrats alter their philosophical outlook, global peace remains elusive. This sentiment was succinctly expressed by the Chinese delegation during the Sino-US talks in Alaska: "We overestimated you and assumed you would adhere to basic diplomatic norms. We must clarify our stance: You lack the authority to assert dominance over China." Despite the potential dangers inherent in this worldview, Western plutocrats are unlikely to relinquish it. It may require the collapse of the existing paradigm before humanity can aspire to construct a new world.

Thankfully, it’s becoming increasingly clear which philosophy holds more promise for humanity. The world is undergoing unprecedented transformations. The ascent of China and the decline of the West have given countries in the Global South renewed hope, allowing them to glimpse a possible new world order characterized by civilized values, peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, equality, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation—an alternative to the current system dominated by self-interest, inequality, bullying, exploitation, and aggression (see Pluralism vs. Monism).