1、The Root-causes of American Individualism and Chinese Collectivism,The Influences of Religion and Philosophy,Christianity and Western philosophies: Christianity is based on the belief that man and nature have been separated absolutely and opposed each other. man can control and remake nature. every
2、person is regarded as an entity and small universe, existing without depending on others. This makes Americans emphasize individualism, power, success and competition.,Confucianism,Economic and political changes and dislocations in ancient China produced Confucian philosophy on human relations which
3、 centered on Ren.“Ren” consists in “being respectful in private life, being serious in handling affairs, and being loyal in dealing with others.” (Chai, 1975: 86)Emphasize the harmony of nature and man,The Influences of History and Population,A young country: in 1776 the 13 colonies declared indepen
4、dence more than 200 years Immigrants: living environmentWestward Movement: played very important role in the forming of American character and core values,china,long history of about 5000 years, History and traditional culture still has a significant influence, contribute to the shaping the worldvie
5、w. Although there are 56 nationalities in China, the Han nationality takes up more than 97 percent. Its culture has been the dominant culture in the Chinese culture. Cultures from outside could be easily absorbed by this powerful one.“One of the most important differences between Chinese and America
6、n cultures is that the Chinese culture is monistic while the latter is pluralistic.” (朱炎,1989:23),The Influences of Geography,Advantageous geography: 9360000Km2 territory, 120000000 acres of arable land, 310000000 acres of forest, Canada, Mexico, seas. Never been invaded since 1812Thanks to the grea
7、t frontier, the availability of rich land and the lack of laborers, nearly each hard-working man in America was able to make a profit on his own piece of land free of the oppression of feudal lords in the Old World.,This independent status of men as property holders promoted the early immigrants que
8、st for affluence and strengthened their belief in individual right to property and equal opportunity in pursuit of material success. Advantageous geography in America requires and encourages people to compete, to exert self, to do everything by themselves, to explore and so on.,Isolation of geograph
9、y,9600000Km2North: desolate Siberian and Mongolian plateaus and the Gobi Desert. West: high mountain ranges separate the country from Russia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The towering Himalayas form the southwestern border, secluding China from India and Burma, high mountains and deep valleys separate
10、 the country from its southern neighbors. This geographical separation and cultural isolation from other countries contributed to the formation of collectivism within China.,The Influences of Economy,Aggressive industrial system: provided a rich soil for the birth of individualism. provided material
11、 and intellectual bases for the maturity of American thought and the popularity of individualism.,Conservative agrarian system,The Chinese civilization has been built on agriculture, as Wenzhong and Grove note: “Generations of peasants were tied to the land on which they lived and worked. Except in
12、times of war and famine, there was little mobility.The natural environment, the traditional agrarian production mode and manual operation make it quite necessary for people to live near to each other. Cooperation is essential for survival.,Page 66： Although we speak of individualism and collectivism as if they are separate entities, it is important to keep in mind that all people and cultures have both individual and collective dispositions.,Thank you for listening,
