The Problem of identity and difference in Chinese philosophy

ENThe aim of this article is to reveal the peculiarity of the understanding of identity and difference in Chinese classical philosophy. Special attention is given to its interpretation in Mencius and Zhuangzi, the representative texts of Confucianism and Daoism as of the main philosophical traditions and constructive powers of Chinese identity and mentality. It is argued that the common background of the understanding of identity and difference in both traditions is the polysemantic concept of de (virtue, power, particularity), by which an interpretation of that problem took mainly an ontologic as well as sociological character. This concept as well as some particularities of Chinese thinking are considered the main factors by which synthetic, energetic, situative and performative character of identity and difference is maintained and “unity of differences” was emphasized as the model “without extremes” (that is of identity and difference in the strict logical sense). In some aspects it is close to the model of Western Postmodernism. Therefore its discussion may be considered as one more way to the Chinese—Western cultural dialogue.