Toward a Community of Shared Future for Mankind: A Perspective to Compare China and the West

Abstract

There are many ways to address the issue of the comparison between China and the West, and such comparisons have been made in different disciplines, for example, literature, philosophy, music, architecture, etc. Different as these comparisons are, they share one common point: most of the discussions are based on what already exists, and this is legitimate and logical as one cannot compare things that do not even exist. The importance of history and legacy can never be overstated, not to say overlooked. Nevertheless, to make comparisons that can enlighten the relationship between China and the West in the age of this pandemic, a prism beyond the narrative around China and the West per se may shed some light as well. Moreover, to compare China and the West in the contemporary age of the Anthropocene, the future, if there still is one, that is to be shared, or suffered, by both China and the West, should also be taken into consideration.