COMPARATIVE PHILOSOPHICAL AND CULTUROLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE CONCEPT OF “THE MEAN”

Abstract

In Chinese, the character zhong (中) denotes meanings such as “central”, “middle”, “unbiased”, or “proper”, embodying profoundly rich meanings in Chinese culture. It can indicate direction and position – “The center”, express degree and state – “The Golden Mean”, and also reflect a profound philosophical concept – “The Doctrine of the Mean”. Ancient Chinese classics developed a system of philosophical categories centered around the concept of “The Mean” as a cultural archetype. The concept of “The Mean” also manifests differently in Confucian and Daoist philosophies, reflecting diverse civilizational paradigms. Since the 1990s, the renowned sinologist and philosopher A.E. Lukyanov has embarked on a modern historical-philosophical study of the Doctrine of the Mean. His culture-genetic approach has pioneered new research directions in both national and international sinology. This article presents a comparative philosophical and culturological analysis of the conceptual content and semantic features of the concept of “The Mean”, drawing upon the works of A.E. Lukyanov. The study emphasizes that “the Mean” as a cultural and philosophical concept not only laid the foundation for the genesis of ancient Chinese philosophy but also made significant contributions to promoting dialogue between Russian and Chinese cultures.