The Triple Logic of Constructing an Independent Knowledge System for Chinese Philosophy and Social Sciences

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized during his inspection of Renmin University of China: “Accelerating the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics is, in the final analysis, about constructing China’s independent knowledge system.” This provides theoretical and practical guidance for our construction of an independent knowledge system that takes the times as its reference, China as its reference, and the world as its reference. The independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences is a regular understanding and research paradigm formed through comprehensive consideration of the three perspectives of knowledge-based, China-based, and world-intercourse-based perspectives. It is a rational construction of a set of independent concepts and laws, confirming the knowledge logic, strategic logic, and world logic of the independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences. Within this triple logic, the foundation lies in “knowledge,” the core lies in “strategy,” and the key lies in “world”; together, they “articulate” the underlying logic of constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences.

习近平总书记在中国人民大学考察时强调：“加快构建中国特色哲学社会科学，归根结底是建构中国自主的知识体系。”这为我们构建以时代为观照、以中国为观照、以世界为观照的自主知识体系提供了理论与实践遵循。中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系是对知识本位、中国本位和世界交往本位三重视野开展综合性考量后形成的规律性认识和研究范式，是一套自主概念和规律的理性建构，确证了中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系的知识逻辑、战略逻辑与世界逻辑。在这三重逻辑中，基础在“知识”，核心在“战略”，关键在“世界”，三者共同“言说”了构建中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系的底层逻辑。

The Knowledge Logic of Constructing an Independent Knowledge System for Chinese Philosophy and Social Sciences

构建中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系的知识逻辑

The independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences is the conceptual expression of the subjectivity of Chinese culture. The construction of an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences embodies the consciousness, autonomy, initiative, and creativity of the cultural subject in cultural practice. To construct philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, it is necessary to “fully reflect Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese manner in terms of guiding ideology, disciplinary system, academic system, and discourse system.” [1]1 This is a quotation from General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech at a symposium on philosophy and social sciences work in May 2016. In this sense, the construction of an independent knowledge system necessarily contains three layers of cultural connotation: first, Chinese culture constitutes the core of the independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences, and the “independent” attribute of the independent knowledge system is precisely the embodiment of the subjectivity of Chinese culture; second, the Communist Party of China, as the inheritor of the subjectivity of Chinese culture, is also the main force in the construction of the independent knowledge system; finally, the independent knowledge system reflects the independence and autonomy demonstrated by Chinese culture in the process of exchange, integration, and confrontation with foreign cultures, and is a knowledge outcome formed after absorption and selection.

中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系是中华文化主体性的理念传达。中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系的构建，体现了文化主体在文化实践中的自觉性、自主性、能动性和创造性。构建中国特色哲学社会科学，要在“指导思想、学科体系、学术体系、话语体系等方面充分体现中国特色、中国风格、中国气派”。在这一意义上，自主知识体系的建构必然蕴含三层文化内涵：首先，中华文化构成了中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系的核心，自主知识体系的“自主”属性正是中华文化主体性的体现；其次，中国共产党作为中华文化主体性的传承者，亦是自主知识体系构建的主要力量；最后，自主知识体系反映了中华文化在与外来文化交流、交融、交锋过程中所展现的独立性和自主性，是经过吸收与筛选后的知识性成果。

The independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences is the concrete expression of the national spirit. Individuals are always situated within their country, nation, and specific historical period; the life course and self-memory of individuals are closely linked to the development trajectory and collective memory of the country and nation. The shared experiences and collective memories of a specific country and nation contain suffering, struggle, and vision, forming specific cultural heritage and spiritual habitats, and coalescing into an indestructible core of national spirit. The national spirit lays the “root” and “soul” for constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences, inherently requiring that the independent knowledge system reflect the long historical traditions, family-country sentiments, and ideals and beliefs of the Chinese nation, depict the unique historical imprints of the Chinese nation, and provide distinct national characteristics for constructing a philosophy and social sciences system that aligns with the cultural identity of various ethnic groups and the values of the people. The independent knowledge system profoundly expresses the academic achievements of the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture. It not only marks the gradual maturation of national rationality and the comprehensive realization of self-governance but is also a key embodiment of the theoretical expression of cultural soft power and lifestyle.

中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系是民族精神的具象表达。个体始终置身于其所属国家、民族以及特定历史时期之内，个体的生命历程和自我记忆与国家和民族的发展轨迹和集体记忆紧密相连。在特定国家和民族的共同经历与集体记忆中，蕴含着苦难、奋斗与愿景，并形成特定的文化遗产与精神栖息地，凝聚成坚不可摧的民族精神内核。民族精神为构建中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系奠定了“根”与“魂”，内在地要求自主知识体系反映中华民族悠久的历史传统、家国情怀和理想信念，刻画中华民族独特的历史印记，为构建与各民族文化认同相契合、与人民群众价值观念相一致的哲学社会科学体系提供了鲜明的民族特色。自主知识体系深刻表达了中华优秀传统文化在创造性转化和创新性发展方面的学术成果。它不仅标志着民族理性的逐步成熟与自我治理的全面实现，也是文化软实力和生活方式理论化表达的关键体现。

The independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences is the historical presentation of the spirit of the times. The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC points out, “Problems are the voice of the times; answering and guiding the resolution of problems is the fundamental task of theory.” [2]2 This is a direct quotation from the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, held in October 2022. To this end, China urgently needs to take the information age as its starting point to construct a new independent knowledge system to solve complex practical problems. In the information age, any new development of human civilization marks the common progress of all human civilization, not merely the partial development of a particular country or region’s civilization. The role a country plays in promoting human civilization to a higher stage is reflected in whether it can lead a new round of civilizational transformation on the basis of inheriting past achievements. This transformation includes not only progress in the field of science and technology and its impact on global social practice, but also a new knowledge structure based on the latest developments in the sciences and humanities, marking an unprecedented period of opportunity for knowledge explosion in human society. The construction of an independent knowledge system is manifested as a spiral ascent through the mutual transformation of tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge, and as competition and dialogue between two modes of knowledge production: autonomous and dependent. With the arrival of the era of “China going to the world,” we must take the innovation and autonomous radiation of the independent knowledge system as the leading factor, forming a knowledge system centered on the autonomous mode of knowledge production, to meet the needs of the dual transformation of Chinese and world civilization.

中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系是时代精神的历史呈现。党的二十大报告指出，“问题是时代的声音，回答并指导解决问题是理论的根本任务”。为此，中国亟须以信息时代为基点，构筑全新的自主知识体系来解决复杂的现实问题。在信息时代，任何人类文明的新发展均标志着整个人类文明的共同进步，而不仅仅是某个国家或地区文明的局部发展。一个国家在推动人类文明向更高阶段迈进的过程中扮演何种角色，体现在它能否在继承过往成就的基础上，引领新一轮文明变革。这种变革不仅包括科技领域的进步及其对全球社会实践的影响，还包括基于科学与人文学科最新进展之上的新知识架构，标志着人类社会迎来了前所未有的知识爆发机遇期。自主知识体系的构建体现为隐性知识与显性知识在相互转化中实现螺旋式上升，表现为自主式与依附式两种知识生产方式的相互竞争与对话。随着“中国走向世界”时代的到来，我们必须以自主性知识体系的创新和自主辐射为主导，形成以自主式知识生产模式为核心的知识体系，满足中国与世界文明双重转型的需求。

The Strategic Logic of Constructing an Independent Knowledge System for Chinese Philosophy and Social Sciences

构建中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系的战略逻辑

Clarify the relationship between the independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences and the consciousness of national subjectivity. The state, as the subject of the construction and development of the independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences, ensures that this knowledge system is rooted in the localized “soil,” not only profoundly reflecting China’s unique national conditions and rich practical experience, but also highlighting the unique spiritual outlook, cultural characteristics, and zeitgeist of the Chinese nation. It aims to seek a breakthrough guided by Chinese ways of thinking through critical reflection on the framework of philosophy and social sciences formed in the process of Western modernization, in order to establish a new theoretical framework more suited to China’s development needs. This process emphasizes extracting ideas and viewpoints with universal significance yet retaining local color from China’s own development history, thereby forming a discourse system that can both guide practice and lead trends. The construction of an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences is a conscious action of the discipline’s self-reflection on its adaptability and its pursuit of developmental capacity. It requires knowledge production to return to specific historical contexts, base itself on China’s practical field, deeply understand the historical and practical logic, institutional and cultural characteristics embedded in China’s strategic practice, form a knowledge genealogy compatible with local endogenous mechanisms, possess “contextual” concern and “field” awareness, and thereby construct a logically self-consistent, systematically complete, and internally coherent theoretical system.

厘清中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系与国家主体性自觉的关系。国家作为中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系构建与发展的主体，确保了该知识体系根植于本土化的“土壤”中，不仅深刻反映了中国独特的国情和丰富的实践经验，而且彰显了中华民族独有的精神风貌、文化特点以及时代气息。它旨在通过对西方现代化进程中形成的哲学社会科学框架进行批判性思考，寻求中国思维方式指导下的突破，以期建立一种更加符合中国发展需要的新理论架构。这一过程强调从中国自身的发展历程出发，提炼出具有普遍意义但又不失地方色彩的思想观点，进而形成一套既能指导实践又能引领潮流的话语体系。中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系的构建，是学科自我反思其适应性并寻求发展能力的自觉行动。它要求知识生产回归特定的历史情境，立足于中国的实践场域，深入理解中国战略实践蕴含的历史与现实逻辑、制度与文化特征，形成与本土内生机制相契合的知识谱系，具备“情境”关怀和“场域”意识，进而构建一个逻辑自洽、体系完整、内在一致的理论系统。

Clarify the relationship between the independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences and national rejuvenation. The core purpose of constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences is to meet the practical needs of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, enhancing the country’s international competitiveness through the construction of the knowledge system. The knowledge system encompasses not only the disciplinary knowledge necessary for economic construction and social development, but also elements such as ideology, values, moral appeal, and cultural psychology. The former provides support for national hard power, while the latter determines the nation’s faith and spiritual core. These two aspects of the knowledge system together constitute the country’s cultural soft power, consolidate national hard power, and simultaneously determine the country’s discourse power and influence on the international stage. Currently, China’s “academic propositions, academic ideas, and academic discourse capabilities and levels are not yet commensurate with our comprehensive national power and international status.” [3]3 This is a quotation from General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech at a symposium on philosophy and social sciences work in May 2016. The pace of the era and practice of national rejuvenation has far exceeded the quantity and quality of actual knowledge supply. This objective reality inevitably requires that the new theories and their explanatory mechanisms elucidated in the process of national rejuvenation be transformed into an independent knowledge system, providing the knowledge conditions for telling China’s story well.

厘清中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系与民族复兴的关系。构建中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系的核心目的在于满足中华民族伟大复兴的实践需求，通过知识体系的构建提升国家的国际竞争力。知识体系不仅涵盖经济建设和社会发展所必需的各学科知识，还包括意识形态、价值观念、道德感召力、文化心理等要素。前者为国家硬实力提供支撑，而后者则决定国家的信仰和精神核心。这两方面的知识体系共同构成了国家的文化软实力，并对国家硬实力起到巩固作用，同时决定了国家在国际舞台上的话语权和影响力。当前，我国的“学术命题、学术思想、学术话语能力和水平同我国综合国力和国际地位还不太相称”，民族复兴的时代与实践步伐已经远快于实际知识供给的数量与质量。这一客观现实必然要求将民族复兴进程中阐发的新理论及其解释机制转化为自主知识体系，为讲好中国故事提供知识条件。

Clarifying the relationship between an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences and Chinese-path modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes: “Innovation is the eternal theme of the development of philosophy and social sciences, and it is also the inevitable requirement of social development, deepening practice, and historical progress for philosophy and social sciences.” The knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences, which takes as its important purpose the summarization and sublimation of the valuable experiences and methods of Chinese-path modernization, provides the Chinese people and even the people of the world with an opportunity to intuitively understand the achievements of Chinese-path modernization. At the same time, taking the reshaping of an independent knowledge system as a breakthrough, breaking the boundaries of Western modern knowledge within the globalized knowledge landscape, seizing the strategic high ground of modern civilization, and shaping a new form of civilization is not only necessary but also an important mission entrusted to us by the times. As an unprecedented undertaking, the construction of Chinese-path modernization cannot succeed without the guidance of advanced knowledge and theory. The independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences elaborates a series of innovative concepts, discourses, and categories. It not only reveals the unique nature, core principles, and fundamental needs contained in the path of Chinese-path modernization but also provides new perspectives and methodological support for understanding national strategy.

厘清中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系与中国式现代化的关系。习近平总书记强调：“创新是哲学社会科学发展的永恒主题，也是社会发展、实践深化、历史前进对哲学社会科学的必然要求。”以总结与升华中国式现代化宝贵经验和方法为重要目的的中国哲学社会科学知识体系为中国人民乃至全世界人民提供了直观理解中国式现代化成就的机会。同时，以重塑自主知识体系为突破口，在全球化的知识版图中打破西方现代知识的边界，夺取现代化文明的战略高地，塑造一种新兴文明形态，不仅是必要的，更是时代赋予我们的重要使命。中国式现代化建设作为一项前所未有的事业，其成功离不开先进知识和理论的指导。中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系论述了一系列创新性概念、话语及范畴，不仅揭示了中国式现代化道路蕴含的独特性质、核心原则以及根本需求，也为理解国家战略提供了新的视角和方法论支持。

The World Logic of Constructing an Independent Knowledge System for Chinese Philosophy and Social Sciences

构建中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系的世界逻辑

Reshaping the view of human civilization requires constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences. The view of human civilization is not limited to abstract humanity and universal civilization but contains a civilizational epistemology imbued with cultural subjectivity and national subjectivity. As the Chinese nation’s unique perception, profound insight, and philosophical reflection on the world, history, and civilization, the independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences has been sedimented into the Chinese nation’s cultural tradition, civilizational bloodline, and philosophical spirit, thereby enriching the basic concepts and value pursuits of the view of human civilization. Constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences is by no means a mere “self-production and self-consumption”; its purpose is to provide the “sum total of human knowledge” with original contributions from the Chinese people, which is also an important manifestation of the openness of this independent knowledge system. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes, “Blowing out others’ lamps does not make

重塑人类文明观需要构建中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系。人类文明观并非仅限于抽象的人类性和普遍的文明性，而是蕴含着文化主体性与国家主体性的文明认识论。中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系作为中华民族对世界、历史和文明的独到感知、深刻体悟与哲学思辨，已沉淀为中华民族的文化传统、文明血脉和哲学精神，从而丰富了人类文明观的基本理念与价值追求。构建中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系绝非单纯的“自产自销”，其目的在于为“人类知识的总和”提供中国人的原创性贡献，这亦是中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系开放性的重要表征。习近平总书记强调，“吹灭别人的灯，并不会让自己更加光明；阻挡别人的路，也不会让自己行得更远”，明确表达了中国立己达人的人类文明交往原则。通过知识这一基本存在与社会实践活动的方式，人类社会得以不断消除孤立与边缘化状态，增进相互理解，加速全球一体化进程。

Reshaping the global knowledge order requires constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences. Constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences embodies the dialectical unity of “breaking” and “establishing,” and manifests the spirit of consciousness, confidence, and self-reliance. Its core lies in conducting an in-depth sorting, reflection, and critique of the current disciplinary system, academic system, and discourse system (i.e., “breaking”), and on this basis, advancing the reconstruction of the global knowledge order (i.e., “establishing”). For any country or nation, a lack of innovative thought and theory will render it unable to gain discursive power in the international intellectual community, thereby inevitably facing the risk of marginalization. The construction of an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences is not a complete negation of the existing system, but rather aims to achieve independent innovation and comprehensive innovation through the process of sublation, reconstruction, indigenization, and Sinicization. This process follows the principle of “taking ourselves as the mainstay and using it for our own purposes,” and is committed to proposing theories, solutions, and propositions that can reflect China’s stance, China’s wisdom, and China’s values. On this basis, it further proposes a knowledge system with universal significance for the world and explains its contribution to the universal values of all humanity. By expanding the world value of China’s independent knowledge system, it realizes the eastward transmission of Western learning [4]4 “东学西渐” (dōng xué xī jiàn) literally means “eastern learning spreading westward,” a phrase coined in contrast to the historical “西学东渐” (western learning spreading eastward) during the late Qing dynasty, referring to the transmission of Chinese knowledge and values to the West., thereby contributing to the reshaping of the global knowledge order.

重塑全球知识秩序需要构建中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系。构建中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系，体现了“破”与“立”的辩证统一，彰显了自觉、自信、自强的精神。其核心在于对现行的学科体系、学术体系、话语体系等进行深入的梳理、反思与批判（即“破”），进而在此基础上推进全球知识秩序的重构（即“立”）。对于任何国家和民族而言，缺乏创新的思想和理论，将无法在国际知识界获得话语权，从而不可避免地面临边缘化的风险。中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系的构建，并非对既有体系的彻底否定，而是旨在通过扬弃、重建、本土化和中国化的过程，实现自主创新和综合创新。这一过程遵循“以我为主，为我所用”的原则，致力于提出能够反映中国立场、中国智慧、中国价值的理论、方案和主张。在此基础上，进一步提出具有世界普遍性的知识体系，并阐释其对全人类普遍价值的贡献。通过拓展中国自主知识体系的世界价值，实现东学西渐，从而为重塑全球知识秩序作出贡献。

Rewriting world history requires constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences. In the long river of human history, whoever holds the power to interpret the history of civilization holds the dominant discursive power of the corresponding era. As China moves from the periphery to the center of the international stage, the compilation of world history can no longer be separated from the knowledge foundation and ideological guidance provided by China. A new civilization that comprehensively examines human society and inspires the world spirit essentially represents a major “terminological revolution” in human history, and a transformation of the knowledge system and an innovation of ideological values from China’s perspective have already begun. The independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences is gradually demonstrating its uniqueness, innovativeness, and systematicity. This system not only provides in-depth conceptual explanations and epistemological interpretations of the Chinese-characteristic path and governance concepts but also gives birth to a series of conceptual categories with far-reaching influence, such as Chinese-path modernization, the common values of all humanity, and a community with a shared future for mankind, which are essentially an integration of knowledge innovation and self-assertion. Constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences is a key support for rewriting world history, capable of fully activating the inherent vitality of Chinese philosophy and social sciences, and ensuring that China stands firm among the nations of the world.

重写世界历史需要构建中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系。在人类历史的长河中，只要掌握文明历史解释权的主体，便掌握了相应时代的话语主导权。随着中国从国际舞台的边缘走向中心，世界历史的编纂已无法脱离中国所提供的知识基础和思想指导。一种全面审视人类社会、激励世界精神的新文明，本质上代表了人类历史的一次重大“术语革命”，以中国为视角的知识体系变革和思想价值革新已经拉开序幕。中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系正逐步展现出独特性、创新性和系统性。这一体系不仅对中国特色道路和治理理念进行了深入的概念阐释和知识论解读，还孕育出了一系列具有深远影响的概念范畴，如中国式现代化、全人类共同价值以及人类命运共同体等，实质上是知识创新和自我主张的集成。构建中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系，是重写世界历史的关键支撑，能够全面激活中国哲学社会科学的内在活力，确保中国巍然屹立于世界民族之林。

(The author is a researcher at the Northeast Normal University Base of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era of the Ministry of Education)

（作者系教育部习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心东北师范大学基地研究员）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧