A Brief Reading of 'The Cost Theory' Part Five: 'Tradition and Anti-Tradition'

This article is the fifth in a series of brief readings of 'The Cost Theory'. Initially, I intended to write it all in one article, but I found the author's language to be very concise. Omitting too much would certainly harm the essence, while omitting too little would make it too lengthy, so I decided to split it into multiple articles. The author of 'The Cost Theory' is Professor Zheng Yefu, and the book was first published in 1997. It truly feels like a case of meeting too late. Douban Book Link

One distinction between humans and animals is that animal behavior patterns are controlled by genes, everything is encoded, and genes are passed down from generation to generation. In contrast, human behavior patterns are influenced not only by genes but also by culture. If we compare human culture to animal genes, we can clearly see that if genes remain unchanged, they cannot adapt to the environment or 'evolve'; the same is true for culture.

Before discussing tradition, we must first mention 'traditionalism'. Traditionalism is different from tradition; it is a form of chauvinism that asserts that the ancients were always right, that their practices were always good, that their lives were always happy, and that their medical knowledge was always superior, with a sole focus on the ancients. Those who adhere to traditionalism are like animals that refuse to evolve.

Tradition is the root of every nation; it brings a sense of identity, behavior patterns, and order. The formation of tradition is not easy, nor is its destruction. However, once destroyed, it is also not easy to restore. The Cultural Revolution destroyed not only the stone lions at the bridgehead but also our elegance and our gentlemanly way. If Confucianism is a religion, it is also a religion of knowledge and education. For modern Chinese people, these elements exist only in ancient texts, and the content of these texts is equally distant for both Chinese and foreigners. This is the loss brought about by anti-tradition.

Tradition must be continued and improved; otherwise, it becomes traditionalism. Anti-tradition is undesirable, and traditionalism is also undesirable. I am reminded of a phrase from my middle school political textbook: 'Take the essence and discard the dross.' This is the standard answer provided by textbooks on how to deal with foreign cultures. In fact, we should approach our own culture in the same way.