Title: MARTIN HEIDEGGER’S PHILOSOPHY IN THE WORKS OF CHINESE MARXIST PHILOSOPHERS: SHIFTING FROM IDEOLOGICAL DENIAL TO SYSTEMATIC STUDIES
Abstract: This article presents a historical, philosophical and historiographical overview of the development of Heideggerian studies in the People’s Republic of China as an example of the reception of Western ideas from the beginning of the Reform and Opening-up Policy to the present time. It is emphasized that during Mao Zedong era, Chinese Marxist philosophers perceived Heidegger’s philosophy as a manifestation of bourgeois idealism in the broader context of criticism of phenomenology and existentialism. Their papers aimed to demonstrate the limitations of Heidegger’s philosophy from a Marxist standpoint while promoting historical materialism as a more comprehensive basis for comprehending human existence and social transformation. However, in the early 1980s due to significant shifts in mainland China’s intellectual discourse, there was a departure from an ideological approach to Western philosophy in general. This shift paved the way for the integration of Heidegger’s ideas into the works of Chinese Marxist philosophers (Ye Xiushan, Yu Xuanmeng, Song Zuliang, Tu Chenglin, Sun Zhouxing, Chen Jiaying, Zhang Rulun, Jin Xiping, Liu Yongfu). As a result, it was formed several directions of Heideggerian philosophy research development in mainland China – these are the origins and core tenets of his ontology, the concept of alienation, question about truth, approaches to Eastern philosophy, reflections on language, poetry and technology. Furthermore, the article analyzes the interpretation of Heidegger’s key ideas by Chinese Marxist philosophers, who engage in comprehensive and systematic studies (Yu Hong, Li Jun, Liu Xuguang, Zhang Xiangen, Zhang Hong, Fan Yugang, Huang Qihong, Wang Changshu, Huang Yusheng, Hu Zixin, Ke Xiaogang, Zhao Weiguo, Liu Chao, Peng Fuchun, Liu Jinglu, Li Wentang, Zhou Minfeng, Han Chao, Sun Guanchen, Li Zhangyin). It is highlighted that certain Chinese Marxist philosophers compare Heideggerian and Marxist thought in search of common principles and distinguishing features between these two philosophical traditions (Zhang Wenxi). Moreover, the article recognizes the valuable contributions of Chinese Marxist philosophers in comparative analysis of Chinese pre-modern philosophy (primarily, Daoism) and the ideas of Heidegger (Zhang Xianglong, Na Wei, Zhong Hua, Han Chao, Hao Wenjie, Fu Songxue). The author concludes that the methodology employed by Chinese Marxist philosophers for studying Heidegger’s fundamental ontology, predominantly forms within paradigm of Western approaches or in some cases, even Heidegger's own concepts, and incorporates the concepts of pre-modern Chinese philosophy.