中國的偉大思想家為什麼只在混亂的時代出現

Even though China could claim a long continuous history of more than

3,000 years, it has produced fewer and fewer great thinkers with less

and less significance since the ancient time: about 3,000 years

ago. In fact the foundation for Chinese culture and political system

was laid down by the thinkers from about 500BC to 200BC. The thinkers

in that period were comparable to those in Greeks (Socrates, Plato and

somewhat to Aristotle) while none of the later thinkers produced in

China has the same depth as those in Europe even in India of the same

periods. One fact also could not have been easily escaped anyones

notice is that Only in Chaotic times did China produce thinkers with

some depth: e.g. East Jin, Southern Song, the transition from Ming to

Qin and the transition from Qin to the Republic of China. Oddly in

China, during peaceful time, no one in Chinas long history seems like

to analyze systematically and comprehensively to find the reasons why

there has been such chaotic times, why the system failed in the

past. Instead the so-called intellectuals focused mainly on praising

their contemporary rulers, the current political systems and are eager

to become subordinate officials themselves. It is true in the

present-day China and especially true at this very moment. On

contrary, the western great thinkers are produced mainly during

prosperous and peaceful periods. That is true especially in the most

recent centuries after Renaissance time but more or less true in

ancient Greeks. Since it is easier to analyze any events or any system

failures in fact anything with much depth from many different aspects

using many more facts and evidences etc during a prosperous and

peaceful period than during a chaotic one it is NO wonder why current

western civilization is much advanced than that in China in recent

centuries. It is also obvious that for China to have any future, the

intellectuals must think critically, systematically and objectively

during peaceful time and most importantly the rulers should encourage

so rather then go out of their ways to suppress the thinkers. Too bad,

the latter is the reality at present.