Change,Contradiction, and Overconfidence: Chinese Philosophy and Cognitive Peculiarities of Asians |
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Authors: | Bongrae Seok |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Philosophy, Alvernia College, Reading, PA 19607, USA |
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Abstract: | This article discusses philosophical influence, especially the influence made by Confucianism and Daoism, on the way Asian
people see and understand the world. Recently, Richard Nisbett drew a connection between Chinese philosophy (Confucianism
and Daoism) and the cognitive profiles of the people who live in Asian countries where Confucianism and Daoism are strong
social and cultural traditions. He argues that there is a peculiar way that Asians think and perceive things and this cognitive
pattern is influenced by a group of principles derived from Chinese philosophy. This article critically analyzes Nisbett’s
explanation, his emphasis on the principle of change in particular, and provides an alternative explanation of the connection
between Chinese philosophy and cognitive peculiarities of Asians. Asians combine and integrate opposite viewpoints not because
they believe that things change in all unexpected directions, but because they see the world as a big system with interrelated
and mutually influencing components. |
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Keywords: | Cultural psychology Cognitive pattern Chinese philosophy Holism Richard Nisbett Contradiction |
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