Abstract
Based on Vygotsky’s (1987) theory on the social formation of human mind, it is argued that the language games played by people of non-Western countries in their lifeworlds are distinct from those used by scientists in their professional works. A conceptual scheme was proposed on the philosophical basis of constructive realism to highlight the distinction between lifeworlds and scientific microworlds in light of their five aspects, that is, constructor, ways of thinking, types of rationality, modes of construction, and functions of worldview. Habermas’ (Theory of communicative action. Vol. II, Lifeworld and system: A critique of functionalist reason. Boston: Beacon Press, 1978) theory of communicative action was used to explain the evolution of lifeworlds during the process of modernization. Jullien’s (1998) distinction between wisdom and philosophy was cited to discuss the usage of Chinese cultural traditions by Chinese people in their lifeworlds, including Taoism, Confucianism, Legalism, and Martial School.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Brubaker, R. (1984). The limits of rationality: An essay on the social and moral thought of Max Weber. London: George Allen & Unwin.
Chen, C. Y., & Bhikkhu, H. M. (2003). A model of spiritual care for hospice. Paper presented in Conference on Functions of Religion in Psychological Rehabilitation after Disaster, Taipei, Taiwan.
Daniels, H. (2001). Vygotsky and pedagogy. New York: Routledge/Falmer.
Durkheim, E. (1912/1965). The elementary forms of religious life. New York: Free Press.
Eldridge, J. (1999). Culture at work. In H. Beyan & P. Glavanis (Eds.), Patterns of social inequality (pp. 97–108). New York: Longman.
Evans-Pritchard, E. E. (1964). Social anthropology and other essays. New York: Free Press.
Habermas, J. (1978). Theory of communicative action (Lifeworld and system: A critique of functionalist reason, Vol. II). Boston: Beacon Press.
Heiderger, M. (1966). Discourse on thinking. New York: Harper and Row.
Heiderger, M. (1974). The principle of ground. In T. Hoeller (Ed.), Man and world (pp. 207–222). II: Vol.
Hermans, J. M., & Kempen, J. G. (1998). Moving cultures: The perilous problem of cultural dichotomy in a globalized society. American Psychologiset, 53(10), 1111–1120.
Hong, Y., Chiu, C., Dweck, C. S., & Sacks, R. (1997). Implicit theories and evaluative processes in person cognition. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 33, 296–323.
Husserl, E. (1970). The crisis of European sciences and transcendental phenomenology: An introduction to phenomenological philosophy (E. Hysserl, Trans.). Evanston: Northwestern University Press.
Hwang, K. K. (1995). Knowledge and action: a social psychological interpretation of Chinese cultural tradition (in Chinese). Taipei, Taiwan: Psychological Publishing Co.
Hwang, K. K. (2006). Constructive Realism and Confucian relationism: An epistemological strategy for the development of indigenous psychology. In U. Kim, K. S. Yang, & K. K. Hwang (Eds.), Indigenous and cultural psychology: Understanding people in context (pp. 73–108). New York: Springer.
Jullien, F. (1998). Un sage est sans idée ou l’autre de la philosophie. Paris: Seuil.
Kuhn, T. (1986). Possible worlds in the history of science. In S. Allen (Ed.), Possible worlds in humanities, arts and sciences, proceedings of nobel symposium, 65 (pp. 9–32). New York: W. deGruyter.
Kuhn, T. (1987). What are scientific revolutions? In L. Kruger, L. J. Datson, and M. Heidelberger (eds.), The Probabilistic Revolution, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, pp. 7–22.
Levy-Bruhl, L. (1910/1966). How natives think, (L. A. Clare, Trans.). New York: Washington Square Press.
Luria, A. R. (1976). Cognitive development: Its cultural and social foundations. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Moll, L. C. (1990). Introduction. In L. C. Moll (Ed.), Vygotsky and education: Instructional implications and applications of sociohistorical psychology. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Shen, V. (1994). Confucianism, Taoism and constructive realism. Bruck: WUV-Universitäsverlag.
Taylor, E. B. (1871/1929). Primitive culture. London.
Vygotsky, L. (1981). The genesis of higher mental functions. In J. V. Wertsch (Ed.), The concept of activity in soviet psychology. Armonk, NY: Sharpe.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1987). The collected works of L.S. Vygotsky (Vol. 1). New York: Plenum.
Wallner, F. (1994). Constructive realism: Aspects of new epistemological movement. Wien: W. Braumuller.
Wallner, F. G. (1997). The movement of constructive realism. Vienna: Wilhelm Braumuller.
Wallner, F. G. & Jandl, M. J. (2001). The importance of constructive realism for the indigenous psychologies approach. Paper presented at Scientific Advances in Indigenous Psychologies: Philosophical, Cultural, and Empirical Contributions. Taipei: Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica.
Walsh, B. J., & Middleton, J. R. (1984). The transforming vision: Shaping a Christian world view. Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.
Weber, M. (1921/1963). The sociology of religion. Boston: Beacon Press.
Weber, M. (1930/1992). The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism (T. Parsons, Trans.). London: Routledge.
Wertsch, J. V. (1985). Vygotsky and the social formation of mind. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Whorf, B. L. (1956). Science and linguistics. In J. B. Carroll (Ed.), Language, thought, and reality: Selected writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf (pp. 207–219). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Wittgenstein, L. (1945/1958). Philosophical investigations (G. E. M. Anscombe, Trans.). Oxford: Blackwell.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hwang, KK. (2012). The Modernization of Non-Western Societies: A Perspective of Constructive Realism. In: Foundations of Chinese Psychology. International and Cultural Psychology, vol 1. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1439-1_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1439-1_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-1438-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-1439-1
eBook Packages: Behavioral ScienceBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)