Comparative study is a method of multidimensional and comprehensive research in the context of global-ization, cross culture and cross civilization. Comparative study is intended mainly for research in areas of social sci-ences and humanities, whose purpose is to conduct comparisons among different areas, different countries, different cultures, different civilizations, etc. The trait of comparative method lies in its being a way of pluralism. Due to the subjectivity and randomness with which people make choices about specific cases and data, historical representation and cross-cultural knowledge are often imperfect, and sometimes can be biased. Researchers applying comparative approach to historical studies mostly attribute historical events to accidentalism rather than to causal determinism, and they tend to come up with different interpretations of even the same historical evidence. Therefore, distortions of historical facts become inevitable in reconstructing other cultures. The use of evidence and interpretation can ei-ther accomplish or destroy a historical comparative study. Four aspects must be considered in the study of the East and the West: context, translation, evaluation and application. Under the background of traditional culture and global cultural diversity, two kinds of characteristics, namely, the fortuity of historical culture and the particularity of the philosophical context are both embodied in comparative studies over eastern and western cultures. A similar but more complicated philosophical reflection is one in the context of today’ s society. In the trend of globalization, the development of modern culture in different countries does not mean that it is completely homogeneous. As an ef-fective means to better understand the different societies and their structures and institutions, contextualized and transnational comparisons are getting more and more intensively adopted. Contextualization in the multicultural soci-ety is necessitated by the need for self reflection, reflecting the challenge of the present and the future. Globally speaking, research on social culture should adopt a variety of methods. The study of cross culture and cross civiliza-tion may be a way of thinking and a way of behavior. In a multicultural context, research on eastern and western cultures does not mean to highlight the uniqueness, authoritativeness and advantageousness of one culture over the other;instead it pays more attention to the transcendence, diversity and deficiency of one’ s national culture in the context of self-reflection. Different cultures may share the same value. The integrity of each particular culture should be respected and maintained, and only in this way can a multicultural society avoid disintegration as a result of politics and geography. This prompts philosophers, educators and general intellectuals to engage in cultural dia-logues and in theory to explore the possibility of cross cultural philosophy. Through this dialogue and discourse, mutual understanding of the similarities and differences between cultures is made available. In this process, each culture can find its own merits and demerits;and each will reinforce their own subjectivity and autonomy. As a re-sult, philosophers, educators, and general intellectuals of multiculturalism may become cross-cultural messengers, communicators and/or translators.%比较研究是在全球化、跨文化和跨文明语境中进行多维性全方位研究的方法。比较研究主要为社会科学和人文科学的研究方法，其目的是进行不同领域、不同国家、不同文化、不同文明之间的比较。比较方法的特质在于作为一种多元性的方式。由于人们对事例与数据进行选择的主观性和随意性，历史的表述和跨文化的知识往往不完善，甚至可能是偏见。历史比较研究者大多判定事件的成因是偶发论而非决定论，不同的人看相同证据经常会赋予不同的意义。因此研究者在重构其他文化时，很容易将其扭曲。证据和解释的运用，既可完成、也可摧毁一个历史比较研究。东西方研究必须考虑四个方面：语境化、翻译化、评估化与应用化。既在传统文化又在全球多元化文化背景下的东西方研究，体现了两种特性，即历史文化的偶然性与哲学语境的特殊性。一个类似但更复杂哲学反思的背景就是在当今社会。在全球化趋势中，各国现代文化发展并不意味着完全实现同质，同样也表现为异质性。语境化和跨国比较越来越强化地作为一种有效手段，以便更好地了解不同的社会及其结构和机构。在多元文化社会中的语境化是自我反思的需要，是现在和未来的挑战。对全球来说，对社会文化的研究应采用丰富多样的方法。对跨文化与跨文明的研究可能是一个思维方式与行为方式语境化的理解方式。在多元文化背景下，对东西方文化的研究不是绝对提升某一种文化唯一性、特权性或优势性的位置；而是在自我反思语境化中，注重本国文化的超越性、多元性以及欠缺性。不同的文化都具有同等价值。每一种特定文化的完整性应得到尊重和维护，而且只有这样，才能使一个多元文化的社会避免由于政治和地理而分离。这就促使哲学家、教育家和一般的知识分子从事文化间的对话，并在理论上探索跨文化哲学的可能性。通过这种对话和话语，相互了解各种文化之间的共同性与差异性。在这个过程中，每一种文化都可以发现自身的缺陷与不足，每一种文化中的成员都可以导致和强化自身的主体性与自主性。多元文化主义的哲学家、教育家和一般知识分子就可能成为横向跨文化的沟通者与翻译员。
展开▼
