The Relationship Between Mao Zedong Thought and Chinese Traditional Culture From Western Scholar’s Perspective

The relationship between Mao Zedong Thought and traditional Chinese culture is one of the important themes that Western scholars have focused on in their studies of Mao Zedong Thought. In analyzing the relationship between them, Western scholars have two problems. First, they have avoided the basic concepts and connotations of Mao Zedong Thought, and used the established research paradigms of various disciplines to analyze Mao Zedong Thought, which resulting in a lack of comprehensive, systematic, and profound understanding of both Mao Zedong Thought and traditional Chinese culture. Second, they have treated traditional Chinese culture and Mao Zedong Thought as abstract dialogue objects. This kind of dialogue object is not an equal ideological and theoretical dialogue, but a high-profile Examination Centered on the West. On the basis of theoretical equality, the construction of China’s independent philosophy and social science system and reaching a consensus on meta concept and basic theory are the key to scientifically understand the relationship between them.