白马与桌子有何关联？
在中国古代，听说有一天公孙龙要出关，被关隘守卫阻挡：‘马不可过关。’公孙龙回答：‘我的马是白色的，白马非马。’他和白马都过关了。
公孙的观点是马是的绝对和永恒的名字/概念，当然和白马不同。
在西方，柏拉图以桌子来说明他著名的理念说。理念说是他最重要的哲学贡献。如果一组物体具有相同名字，那组东西就有了个理念。
所以一组物体如果都可称为桌子，那就有了桌子理念。桌子理念是永恒、不灭、普世的概念。相对来说，世间所见的桌子是可灭的，它们只不过是桌子理念的复本。
这样，两位伟大的古代哲学家在两千年前都有了理念和永恒性概念的认识，虽然他们各居千里之外。
在逻辑中，认为普遍性概念是永远没有实体的。就是说，桌子和马在世间并没有一个对应物。世间是由方桌、圆桌、白马、黑马这类个体所组成的。
过去两千多年，西方尽全力寻找理念或概念，譬如桌子理念的真意。西方哲学可适当地称为普世性哲学。他们生活在概念世界中。
在中国，学者主要兴趣不在‘马’，而是在‘白马’。中国的哲学可说是个体特殊性哲学。他们生活在万物世界中。这使我想起布莱克的那句诗：一沙见世界。
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What is the connection between a Table and a White-horse?
In ancient China, it was said that one day Gongsun Long was passing a frontier and a frontier guard stopped him and said: ‘Horses are not allowed to pass.’ Gong replied: ‘My horse is white, and white horse is not a horse.’ He was allowed to pass with his white-horse.
Gongsun’s idea is that Horse is a name/concept which is absolute and permanent, and it is obviously different from a White-horse.
In the West, Plato used Table to illustrate his famous Theory of Forms, which is said to be his most significant philosophical contribution. The idea is that if there is a set of things all of which have the same ‘name’, then there is a Form for that set.
Therefore, for any set of things to which we apply the term ‘table’, there is a single Form of table. The form of table is permanent, non-perishable and a universal concept. In contrast, the tables we see in the physical world are perishable and are mere copies of the Form of Table.
So, two great ancient philosophers arrived at almost the same concept of ideas or universality more than two thousand years ago, although they lived thousand miles away from each other.
It is accepted that in Logics, the general can never be an entity. In other words, the words ‘table’ or ‘horse’ cannot each have a single reference in the real world which consists of particular things such as square, round tables, and white, black horses.
For more than two thousand years, the West focus almost all their energy on studying the meaning of general Ideas or Concept, e.g. the Form of Table, and Western philosophy can therefore aptly be termed as the Philosophy of Universality. They live in conceptual world.
In China, the scholars’ main interest is not about the meaning of ‘horse’; rather it is about the ‘white-horse’. The Chinese philosophy is the Philosophy of (Uniqueness of) Particularity. They live in physical world. That reminds me of the line written by Blake: ‘To see a World in a Grain of Sand’.
在中国古代，听说有一天公孙龙要出关，被关隘守卫阻挡：‘马不可过关。’公孙龙回答：‘我的马是白色的，白马非马。’他和白马都过关了。
公孙的观点是马是的绝对和永恒的名字/概念，当然和白马不同。
在西方，柏拉图以桌子来说明他著名的理念说。理念说是他最重要的哲学贡献。如果一组物体具有相同名字，那组东西就有了个理念。
所以一组物体如果都可称为桌子，那就有了桌子理念。桌子理念是永恒、不灭、普世的概念。相对来说，世间所见的桌子是可灭的，它们只不过是桌子理念的复本。
这样，两位伟大的古代哲学家在两千年前都有了理念和永恒性概念的认识，虽然他们各居千里之外。
在逻辑中，认为普遍性概念是永远没有实体的。就是说，桌子和马在世间并没有一个对应物。世间是由方桌、圆桌、白马、黑马这类个体所组成的。
过去两千多年，西方尽全力寻找理念或概念，譬如桌子理念的真意。西方哲学可适当地称为普世性哲学。他们生活在概念世界中。
在中国，学者主要兴趣不在‘马’，而是在‘白马’。中国的哲学可说是个体特殊性哲学。他们生活在万物世界中。这使我想起布莱克的那句诗：一沙见世界。
.
What is the connection between a Table and a White-horse?
In ancient China, it was said that one day Gongsun Long was passing a frontier and a frontier guard stopped him and said: ‘Horses are not allowed to pass.’ Gong replied: ‘My horse is white, and white horse is not a horse.’ He was allowed to pass with his white-horse.
Gongsun’s idea is that Horse is a name/concept which is absolute and permanent, and it is obviously different from a White-horse.
In the West, Plato used Table to illustrate his famous Theory of Forms, which is said to be his most significant philosophical contribution. The idea is that if there is a set of things all of which have the same ‘name’, then there is a Form for that set.
Therefore, for any set of things to which we apply the term ‘table’, there is a single Form of table. The form of table is permanent, non-perishable and a universal concept. In contrast, the tables we see in the physical world are perishable and are mere copies of the Form of Table.
So, two great ancient philosophers arrived at almost the same concept of ideas or universality more than two thousand years ago, although they lived thousand miles away from each other.
It is accepted that in Logics, the general can never be an entity. In other words, the words ‘table’ or ‘horse’ cannot each have a single reference in the real world which consists of particular things such as square, round tables, and white, black horses.
For more than two thousand years, the West focus almost all their energy on studying the meaning of general Ideas or Concept, e.g. the Form of Table, and Western philosophy can therefore aptly be termed as the Philosophy of Universality. They live in conceptual world.
In China, the scholars’ main interest is not about the meaning of ‘horse’; rather it is about the ‘white-horse’. The Chinese philosophy is the Philosophy of (Uniqueness of) Particularity. They live in physical world. That reminds me of the line written by Blake: ‘To see a World in a Grain of Sand’.
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