New approaches to comparative transcultural philosophy and the method of sublation

Our world is a globalized world. Therefore, all major crises facing societies today, such as the ecological emergencies and climate change, armed conflicts and military aggressions, and unequal distribution of resources and wealth, are global in nature and cannot be effectively addressed by individual states alone. To promote global intercultural solidarity and cooperation, different cultures must learn from one another, particularly in terms of their philosophical, ethical, and axiological perspectives. This can be difficult due to a variety of factors, including historical separateness, ideational misunderstandings, and political differences. Hence, our project focuses on enhancing theoretical models of transcultural interaction within the field of philosophy. By improving these models, we aim to facilitate the much-needed exchange of knowledge and ideas between different cultures. The project addresses the considerable difficulties Western scholars face in studying the intellectual histories of non-Western cultures. To this end, the project will first evaluate differences between cross-cultural, intercultural, and transcultural methods and identify common challenges faced by traditional methods of comparative philosophy. The project team will then propose new strategies to overcome these challenges and demonstrate how these new approaches can produce more comprehensive and accurate models for comparative transcultural philosophy, thereby minimizing or resolving the problems of traditional methods. The project team specializes in East Asian intellectual traditions and will therefore focus on the specific historical and ideational foundations of these traditions. We will begin by examining the semantic and hermeneutical implications of culturally divergent frames of reference and demonstrate the need for discursive translations. We will conduct a critical analysis of different methodologies that have been previously used in the field of intercultural comparative philosophy, such as the philosophy of fusion or of synthesis. On this basis, we will propose a new comparative approach that incorporates a new technique called ""transcultural philosophical sublation,"" which can add value to the field by providing a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness and complex relationships between different cultures and philosophical traditions. The concept of ""sublation"" originates from Hegelian philosophy and may be seen as inappropriate for transcultural discourse. However, in this context, it has a different meaning. It still encompasses the three key elements of creating something new through the interaction of different objects or phenomena, such as elimination, preservation, and arising. However, it does not suggest the negation of contradictions, as this model views oppositions as complementary rather than mutually exclusive. Additionally, ""sublation"" refers to a process rather than a final stage, making it a valuable concept for describing new forms of transcultural philosophy more accurately and effectively than previous approaches. The basic principles of this method have been described in a chapter of the project leader's recent book Interpreting Chinese Philosophy: A New Methodology (Bloomsbury Academic, 2021), for which she was awarded the 2022 prize for the best research achievement in the humanities by the University of Ljubljana. While the sublation method has been schematically established, it still requires further improvement in both its theoretical foundations and practical application. This is necessary in order to fully realize its potential and ensure that it is effective in achieving its intended purpose. Hence, the project team needs to apply and demonstrate it on a large number of different individual cases. These demonstrations will enhance the theoretical model by providing real-world examples and practical insights, helping to address many remaining issues in intercultural philosophical comparisons.