The compilation of Chinese and foreign philosophical classics is a major project of both epochal value and historical significance. After nearly 180 years of arduous struggle, the Chinese nation ushered in the best period of development in modern times and a period of striving to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Only by summing up all the ideological achievements of ancient and modern China and abroad can the Chinese nation shoulder the general trend of world historical development. To this end, we must compile a collection of classics of ancient and modern philosophical texts to provide the essence of philosophical thought for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, for the construction of a community of human destiny, and for the progress of human society. Philosophy is the flower of thought, the soul of civilization, the crown of spirit. If a country or nation wants to prosper and have a bright future, it must have profound theoretical thinking and its own philosophy. Philosophy is a theoretical force for social change and development, and a spiritual pillar that inspires people. Philosophy liberates the mind, purifies the mind, and illuminates the way forward. Great times require brilliant philosophy. I. Philosophy is the science of wisdom, what is philosophy? This is both an age-old question and a philosophical eternal topic. Asking what philosophy is is itself a matter of "philosophy." From the day philosophy became thought, philosophers have been constantly pursuing philosophical chapters, giving one answer after another. Philosophers of every age have their own interpretations of this question. What is philosophy is the eternal question of doubt before human intelligence, and this is the basic characteristic of philosophy as philosophy. Philosophy is the conceptual form, the spiritual essence of the whole world. The common problems facing mankind are the fundamental objects of philosophical research. Ontology, epistemology, world view, outlook on life, values, practice, methodology, etc., are still the basic problems and vitality of philosophy! Philosophy studies the fundamental and essential problems of all things in the world. There are many specific definitions of philosophy, but we can try to describe some characteristics of philosophy in a "veiled" way, so as to deepen people's understanding of what philosophy is. Philosophy is not a mysterious view. Philosophy comes from human practice and is about life. Philosophy investigates everything that exists in reality, "breaking the cauldron and asking the end." It is not only asking "being," but primarily "why," especially "why." It is concerned with the entire universe, with the destiny of the entire human race, with the life of life. It cares about firewood, rice, oil and saltThe relationship between vinegar tea and human life, concerned about the challenges of artificial intelligence to human society. Philosophy is the theoretical sublimation of all practical experience, it is concerned with the basis behind concrete phenomena, with how human beings can be better. Philosophy is to question nature, society and man itself at a fundamental level, reflect on existing concepts and understandings with a thorough attitude, grasp the goals of life and historical trends from the value ideal, show the height of human rational thinking, condense the wisdom of national progress, and place people's love of light and pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. The Tao is not far away, and people can spread the Tao. Philosophy is the study of grasping the world and gaining insight into the future, and it is the door to ideological emancipation and freedom! The ancient Greek philosophers were called "the spectators," and Aristotle said in his book Metaphysics, "Initially people did philosophy through curiosity and amazement." If knowledge comes from curiosity, then philosophical curiosity must be great curiosity. This "great curiosity" comes from a "big thing," the so-called big thing, which is the "why" of everything between heaven and earth. The philosophical spirit is "family affairs, state affairs, world affairs, everything to ask", is a spirit of eternal inquiry. Philosophy is not just thinking. Philosophy takes the mind itself as its object of study, reflecting on the thought itself. Philosophy is not an ordinary system of knowledge, but takes the concept of knowledge as the object of study, asking "what is the true source and basis of knowledge". The philosophical "non-object" way of thinking is not a "purely formal" principle of inference, but has its "non-object" object. The object of philosophy is the constant pursuit of truth, a process of both theory and practice, and the essence of understanding. The very process of philosophy in its pursuit of truth reveals the essence of philosophy. The vastness of heaven and earth, the mystery of change, is the mystery of philosophy. Philosophy is not a doctrinal dogma that declares opposition, philosophy opposes all forms of opposition. Philosophical liberation means the liberation of man himself from all ideological dogmas. Philosophy gives us the freedom to think thoroughly about the past and the ability to think deeply into the future. Philosophy is the science of liberation, the flame and the sword. Philosophy is not general knowledge. Philosophy pursues "great wisdom." Buddhism talks about "turning into wisdom," and knowledge and wisdom are equivalent to the relationship between knowledge and philosophy. General knowledge is "knowledge" based on specific objects of knowledge, while philosophy is "intelligence" that transcends concrete objects. In the sixth century B.C., China's Lao Tzu said, "Generous, late bloomer, loud voice, elephant invisible, and nameless." Husbands are only good and good." He also said, "The movement of the opposite way, the use of the weak way." All things under heaven are born of something and something is born of nothing." The pursuit of the Tao is the search for what is and what is formless and nameless, that is, the inquiry into why heaven and earth are so. This pursuit has given philosophy the great utility of heaven and earth, and great wisdom beyond the limited experience of the tangible and famous. This kind of great wisdom and great use transcends the fence of all limitations and reaches the infinite ability of liberation. Philosophy is not an empirical science, but it is connected to experience. From the birth of philosophy as a scientific question, it has been contained in the form of science, and it has appeared in the form of science. Philosophy thinks about the fundamental questions of life in the universe in a rational way, a conceptual way, and an argumentative way. In Aristotle, the study of entities (ousia) is called "philosophy." The "first entity" is the "first" of beings. The study of the First Entity is called "theology," or "metaphysics," which is what later generations called "philosophy." Science in the general sense derives its original prescriptiveness from the original sense of "philosophy." Although philosophy is not an empirical science, it has defined the scope of meaning and pointed out the direction for science. Philosophy must ultimately point to the fundamental problems of life in the universe, and the work of great scientists is always philosophical in its deep sense, as Newton and Einstein exemplified. Philosophy is not a natural science, nor is it a literary art, but before the natural sciences, the path of philosophy is unfolded; At the top of the mountain of literature and art, the ladder of philosophy appeared. Philosophy constantly stimulates people's spirit of exploration and creativity, enabling people to reach new realms in the process of understanding the world, and to transform the world from the kingdom of necessity to the kingdom of freedom. Philosophy continues to arise again from the most fundamental questions. In a certain sense, the history of philosophy is the constant reconstruction of new world views and the understanding of mankind's own history. The historical presentation of philosophy is the best illustration of the creative nature of philosophy. Every philosopher in the history of philosophy thinks about fundamental questions and adds new thinking and new dimensions to philosophy, just like adding a yellow owl to the Tianyu Mountain. If philosophy is a unifying feature of the continuous unfolding of the history of philosophy, then this "one" is realized in the creation of "many" philosophies. If every philosophical system pursues a systematic "one," then there is a multi-party relationship between each "one" system. This is precisely what the history of philosophy shows about the diversity of our philosophy. The interdependence of diversity and unity is precisely the meaning of the dialectic of philosophy seeking the unity of phenomenon and essence, concrete and universal. The pursuit of philosophy is the natural tendency of the human spirit, the flower of spiritual freedom. Philosophy is freedom of thought, free thought. Chinese philosophy is the most intrinsic, profound and enduring expression of spiritual pursuit and value in the 5,000-year-old civilization tradition of the Chinese nation. Chinese philosophy has been transformed into the Chinese way of thinking, attitude to life, moral code, life pursuit, and spiritual realm. Chinese people's science and technology, ethics and morality, small family and big country, traditional Chinese medicine, poetry and literature, painting calligraphy, martial arts boxing, rural folk customs, and even daily life are also imbued with the spirit of Chinese philosophy. Although Chinese culture has survived hardships, it has been able to awaken the spirit and stand tenaciously, precisely because of the profound thinking and creativity of Chinese philosophy. In the pre-Qin era, the dispute between Laozi, Confucius, Zhuangzi, Sun Zi, Han Feizi and other sons was the expression of philosophical spirit in China and the first great outbreak of ideological emancipation of the Chinese people. The ideas and systems of the two Han dynasties for more than 400 years are the result of the great integration of the ideas of the hundred schools of thought in the process of contention. During the Wei and Jin dynasties, the occurrence of metaphysics was the result of Confucianism breaking through their respective barriers and interacting with each other, forming a situation of Confucian exposition. In the three hundred years of the Sui and Tang dynasties, Buddhism penetrated deep into Chinese culture, which once again brought about the great integration and liberation of ideas, and the formation of Zen Buddhism was the result of this integration and liberation. In the past two and three hundred years, Chinese philosophy ushered in the third great liberation. The mutual support between the three teachings of Confucianism and Taoism has deepened day by day, and Zhu Xi's theory and Lu Xiangshan's psychology are the philosophical crystallization of this ideological trend. Unlike ancient Greek philosophy, which emphasized contemplation and theoretical construction, Chinese philosophy is interested in practicing humanistic concerns, and it is more concerned with the rational meaning of practice. In Chinese philosophy, knowledge and action have never been separated, Chinese philosophy has a profound practical perspective and life view, and ethics and morality are the contributions of the Chinese. Marx said that "all social life is essentially practical," and the viewpoint of practice and life is also the basic viewpoint of Marxist epistemology. This philosophical fit is precisely the reason why Marxism has been able to take root in China and continue to sinicize. "Seeking truth from facts" is an old Chinese saying. Today it has become a profound philosophy and a benchmark for Chinese people's way of thinking and behavior. Seeking truth from facts means emancipating the mind, and emancipating the mind means seeking truth from facts. Seeking truth is the essence of Mao Zedong Thought and the cornerstone of reform and opening up. Only by emancipating the mind can we seek truth from facts. Seeking truth from facts is the philosophical thinking that the Chinese people have always adhered to. To seek truth from facts is to rely on oneself, follow one's own path, and oppose all unscrupulous concepts. The so-called Sinicization means that everything starts from China's reality, and all theories must conform to China's reality. The practice of diversity in philosophy is the form of human existence and the mother of philosophy. Practice is the driving force, source, value, and standard of thinking. The fundamental purpose of people to understand the world and explore laws is to transform the world and improve themselves. The formulation and answer of philosophical questions are inseparable from practice. Marx famously said, "Philosophers just explain the world in different ways, and the problem is to change the world!" Only when theory becomes the spiritual wisdom of man can it become a force for changing the world. Philosophy cares about human destiny. The philosophy of the times must be concerned with the fate of the times. Concern for the destiny of the times is concern for human practice and destiny. Everything that man produces in practice is realistic. The practicality of philosophy must bring with it the reality of philosophy. The reality of philosophy is to emphasize the attitude that one should have in constantly answering questions in practice. Philosophy as a science is realistic. Philosophy is a science that answers and explains reality, and philosophy is the idea that people connect with reality and face reality. It can be said that philosophy is the most essential theory of reality and the most realistic theory of essence. Philosophy always asks about the development and change of reality. Philosophy exists in practice and must develop in reality. The reality of philosophy requires us to confront practice itself. Philosophy is not simply following practice and becoming a "slave" of current practice, but in a unique and profound way, it pays attention to the development of practice, improves the level of human practice, and provides theoretical support for social practice. To understand and engage in philosophy from direct, short-term demands is tantamount to presenting philosophy with tasks that are impossible in itself. Philosophy is deep reflection, heavy wisdom, abstraction of things, grasp of theory. Philosophy is the deepest theoretical thinking that mankind has in grasping the world. Philosophy is the study based on man, the wisdom that man uses to understand the world, grasp the world, and transform the world. "What is good for the people, what is good, what is good for the people, what is beneficial." The purpose of philosophy is for man. Using philosophy to understand the external world and understand people themselves is also to use philosophy to transform the world and transform people. Philosophical study has no forbidden zone, no end and no boundary, with the universe, with human beings. Existence is diverse and development is diverse, which is the inevitability of the objective world. Everything in the universe itself is a variety of beings, many changes. History shows that each nation's culture has its own unique value. Cultural diversity is the law of nature, the driving force, and the vitality. It is the law that various national cultures borrow from each other, supplement and impregnate and jointly promote the development and prosperity of human society. The diversity and complexity of the objects determine the diversity of philosophy; Even for the same thing, people will have different philosophical understandings and form different philosophical schools. The differences in philosophical views, trends, schools and their manifestations come from the epochal, regional and national differences in philosophy. World philosophy is a collection of philosophies of different nationalities, such as Chinese philosophy, Western philosophy, Arab philosophy, etc. Diversity makes up the world, and flowers bloom to form gardens. Different peoples will have different styles of philosophy. It is precisely the national character of philosophy that allows different philosophies to perform various "dramas" on the world stage. Even if there are similar philosophical views, the expression and application in practice will have their own characteristics. Human practice is multifaceted, diverse, and developing, and can be roughly divided into: the practice of transforming nature, the practice of transforming human society, the practice of perfecting man himself, and enhancing the spiritual activities of man's spiritual world. Man is a person in practice, and practice is the first attribute of human life. The social nature of practice determines the social nature of philosophy, which is not a certain reverie divorced from social reality, but a conceptual form of social real life, an important symbol of civilization progress, and an important dimension of human development. The development of philosophy reflects the rational maturity of a society and the degree of civilization of this society. The history of philosophy is essentially a summary and summary of natural history, social history, the history of human development and the history of human thought. Nature is diverse, society is diverse, and the human mind is diverse. The so-called diversity of philosophy is the similarities and differences between the basic concepts, theories, and methods of philosophy, and the diversity of philosophical ways of thinking. The diversity of philosophy is the norm in philosophy, a sign of its progress, development, and prosperity. Philosophy is man's philosophy, philosophy is man's consciousness of things, man's knowledge of the outside world and self-understanding, and man's grasp of the world and self. The diversity of philosophy is the norm and necessity of philosophy, and the internal driving force for the development and prosperity of philosophy. It is generally universal, and the characteristics are also universal. The transition from singularity to diversity, from simplicity to complexity, is a major change in philosophical thinking. Using one philosophical discourse and method to negate another is not in itself a philosophical attitude. Diversity does not negate commonality, unity, universality. Matter and spirit, existence and consciousness, everything is in motion and change, which is the basic problem of philosophy and our basic philosophical viewpoint! Today's world is so complex, philosophical diversity is a reflection of the world's diversity. Philosophy is the real world expressed in the form of ideas. Philosophical diversity is the expression of the diversity of civilizations and the diversity of human historical development. Diversity is the way of the universe. The practicality and diversity of philosophy is also reflected in the epochality of philosophy. Philosophy is always the essence of the spirit of a particular era, and it is a theoretical form of human reflective activity under certain historical conditions. In different eras, philosophy has different contents and forms, and the diversity of philosophy is also an expression of the diversity of historical eras. The diversity of philosophy will also allow us to understand different historical eras more scientifically and understand the truth of historical development more internally. Diversity is the way of history. The reason why philosophy can play the role of emancipating the mind is that it always pays attention to practice and the development of reality; It has always been concerned with the progress of science and technology. Philosophy itself has no space, no free world, but only a reflection of the objective world, a form of ideas. Without reality, philosophy is far from man, away from existence. The practice of philosophy is, in the end, helping philosophy to be human philosophy in essence, human thinking, and human science! The practical and diverse nature of philosophy tells us that philosophy must blossom and compete with a hundred schools of thought. The development of philosophy must first liberate oneself and liberate philosophy, that is, to achieve changes in thinking, concepts and paradigms. Human development must also go hand in hand, exchange and mutual learning, and prosper together. Picking the powder of a hundred flowers can brew the honey of the world. Three philosophies and contemporary China China has a tradition of speculation since ancient times, and the contention of a hundred schools of thought in the history of Chinese thought is the historical image of the prosperity of philosophy. Philosophy is the clarion call for the development of history. Every great leap forward in Chinese ideology and culture is the result of philosophical emancipation. The ideas of ancient Chinese sages have been passed down to this day, and their wisdom has been immersed in the spiritual realm and life feelings of the Chinese people. In 1938, under the most difficult conditions of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Mao Zedong studied philosophy in Yan'an and created the theory of practice and contradiction, which promoted the ideological emancipation of the Chinese revolution and became the spiritual force of the Chinese people. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will surely usher in a new development in Chinese philosophy. Contemporary China must have its own philosophy, and contemporary Chinese philosophy must fundamentally explain the philosophical principles of the Chinese road. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires philosophical thinking and constant and in-depth reflection. The road of development is the road of philosophical thinking, and the self-confidence of culture is the self-confidence of philosophical thinking. Philosophy is the leader, which can be called the eternal "Beidou", philosophy is the "flame" of the era, the most exquisite and profound "light" of the era. In the sense of social change, any great social change is always preceded by theoretical thinking. The change of theory is always premised on the unprecedented emancipation of ideology, and what "blows" the first "trumpet" of the emancipation of human thought is often the philosophy that represents the essence of the spirit of the times. The need for philosophy in social practice can be called "impatient", because philosophy always "blows" the "trumpet" of this new era. What "sounded" the "clarion call" of China's reform and opening up was precisely philosophical concepts such as "emancipating the mind," "practice is the only criterion for testing truth," and "no reform is a dead end." What "blows" the "trumpet" of the new era is the "Chinese dream", and "the people's yearning for a better life is the goal of our struggle." Development is the eternal driving force of human society, change is the eternal topic of social emancipation, and ideological emancipation and emancipation of the mind are endless philosophies. China is on the road of dual exploration of theory and practice, and exploration cannot be achieved without philosophy! The new development of Chinese philosophy must reflect the latest practical achievements of China and the world, must reflect the latest achievements of science, and must have the ideological power to move toward the future. The historical era facing the Chinese people today is unprecedented. What a historical picture of 1.3 billion people marching toward modernization! How magnificent and shocking! It has never been unprecedented not only in the history of China, but also in the history of the world. The philosophy that China needs today is a philosophy that combines the way of heaven, geography, and human morality, and a philosophy that integrates ancient and modern China and the West, and only such a philosophy is the philosophy of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The philosophy that China needs today must be a philosophy suitable for China. No matter ancient or modern, Chinese or foreign, no matter how good things are, they also need to be absorbed and digested again, and must undergo modernization and sinicization before they can become China's own philosophy today. Philosophy is the liberation of people, and the development of philosophy itself is also a liberation of the mind, and it is also a process of sublimation and feathering of people's thinking. The emancipation of the Chinese people's minds has always proceeded with history. As long as history is, how long is the road to emancipation of the mind; Development and progress are eternal, ideological emancipation is also endless, and ideological emancipation is the emancipation of philosophy. Xi Jinping said that ideological work is to "guide people to understand contemporary China and the outside world more comprehensively and objectively." This requires us to establish an intellectual attitude and theoretical stance of "knowing oneself and knowing oneself", and philosophy is the most concise and concentrated expression of the core of civilizational values, which helps us understand China and the world. To base ourselves on China and understand China, we need to examine the road we have traveled, base ourselves on China and understand the world, and we need to observe and learn from different cultures in world history. China's "unique cultural traditions", China's "unique historical destiny", and China's "unique basic national conditions" "determine that we must take a development path suitable for our own characteristics." All actual and existing social systems are concrete and distinctive, and must conform to the reality of the country. Abstract systems, universal systems, do not exist. At the same time, we need to "look at the outside world" objectively and comprehensively. Studying ancient and modern Chinese and foreign philosophies is a compulsory course for China to understand the world, human history, and its own future development. Today's development in China requires not only reading Chinese books, but also world books. It is necessary to study not only the classics of the natural and social sciences, but also the classics of philosophy. At present, China is on the "long march" road to realize the "Chinese Dream", which is also a road of continuous ideological emancipation! To answer China's questions and explain China's development, we first need the liberation of philosophical thinking itself. The development of philosophy is the liberation of philosophy, which is determined by the practical and contemporary nature of philosophy. Philosophy knows no forbidden areas and no boundaries. Philosophy is about the spirit of the universe, about the human mind. Philosophy will be with the universe and with humanity. The compilation of the Four Philosophical Classics is to enable Chinese people to study foreign philosophical classics and absorb the essence of human spiritual thought; It is to improve our thinking and make the Chinese thinking more rational, more scientific and more intelligent. China has a tradition of practicing the canon in a prosperous era. There were many classics in ancient China (such as the "Yongle Dian" and "Siku Quanshu"), and compiling a compendium of Chinese and foreign philosophical classics in the new era is our historical mission and a major ideological project for national rejuvenation. Only by studying and borrowing from the achievements of human spiritual thought can we achieve our own development and move towards the future. The compilation of Chinese and foreign philosophical classics is to inherit one's own spiritual civilization and learn from the world's excellent culture at the level of thinking and in the realm of wisdom. This is a compulsory course for us. Exchange, cooperation and friendship between different cultures must be achieved at the philosophical level of mutual recognition and reference. Dialogue and listening between philosophies is heart-to-heart communication. The compilation of Chinese and foreign philosophical classics is to build a bridge of heart-to-heart connection. We have compiled this set of philosophical classics, first, Chinese philosophy, sorting out the ideological classics in Chinese history, and condensing the essence of Chinese intellectual history; Second, foreign philosophy, mainly Western philosophy, absorbs foreign and borrows the excellent philosophical achievements of human development; the third is Marxist philosophy, showing the achievements of the Sinicization of Marxist philosophy; Fourth, China's philosophical achievements since modern times, especially the development of Marxism in China. Compiling this compendium is a long-cherished wish of the philosophical community, and it is also a dedication of the philosophical community. The encyclopedia of Chinese and foreign philosophical classics summarizes the ideas in books, the thinking of the philosophers, and the footprints of predecessors. We want to dedicate them to future generations so that they can stand on the shoulders of those who came before us and see themselves on the shores of history. The compilation of Chinese and foreign philosophical classics is to realize "God to know" in the way of "knowing and hiding the past"; The compilation of Chinese and foreign philosophical classics is to start from the fundamental major problems facing mankind through the "original anti-end" of the history of Chinese and foreign philosophy, and draw the great cause of the progress of human civilization on the road of endless life of philosophical students! A developing China is not only a political and economic power, but also a cultural power, and will certainly be a philosophical and ideological power. The achievements of human spiritual civilization know no borders, the boundary of philosophy is practice, the eternity of practice is the perpetuality of philosophy, and opening one's mind to embrace the achievements of human civilization is the fundamental condition for a nation and a country to stand on its own two feet and always stand at the forefront of human civilization. Embracing the world, embracing the future, moving towards rejuvenation, and building the Chinese people's world view, outlook on life, values, and methodology is the vision and sentiment of the Chinese people, and it is also the wish of Chinese philosophers! Li Tieying, August 2018（AI翻译）