Point and Line: Uniqueness and Relationality Applied in

Title

Point and Line: Uniqueness and Relationality Applied in

Author

Hong-Hsin LIN

Page

25-47

DOI

Abstract

　　In the history of Christian thought, the concept of "person" has been adopted to denote the origin of subjectivity. For most discussions, the concept of person refers to God (e.g., the three persons of the Trinity), which could be dealt with as an ideal type of human being as the image of God. According to the Western theological tradition, when discussing the "Trinity," the focus is on oneness. Then the three persons are differentiated from oneness, so that the uniqueness of each person is emphasized. But according to the Eastern theological tradition, while discussing "Trinity," the focus is on threeness. Then, after the relationship between the three persons has been the focus, the relationality of each person is underlined.
　　There are two ways of thinking about both the uniqueness and the relationality of a person. First, the relationality of a person should be defined on the basis of its uniqueness. For example, it is possible to draw a line only if there have been two distinct points already. Second, the uniqueness of a person should be defined only on the basis of its relations. That is to say, the uniqueness of a point solely depends upon what kinds of lines can be derived from it. The image of point and line displays the interdependence of individual and community. That the uniqueness of a person has been overemphasized at the expense of relationality can be observed in modern Western society. And that the relationality of a person is overstressed at the expense of uniqueness can be seen in the traditional Eastern society. In the continuing dialogue between East and West, how to prevent from radical individualism but not to swing to collectivism, and how to be against the marginalization of personal uniqueness without losing a sense of community are important issues.
　　While being applied to "Self" and "Others" in the Cross-cultural dialogue, one the one hand, the first way of thinking is to deal with the uniqueness of the "Self" first, and then derive relations with others from which according to its uniqueness. Those who have regarded themselves as the center of the world tend to think in the first way, no matter they are rigid Chinese traditionalists or aggressive Western imperialists. On the other hand, the second way of thinking is inclined to focus upon the relations brought in by "Others," and then endeavor to find out the uniqueness of the self. Those who care about such as "China in the eyes of the West" or "the West in the eyes of China" tend to think in the second way. The dialogue itself must be a learning process of finding the best balance of both ways of thinking. The question for the time being is what will be the best composition of the first and the second way of thinking in a world of crossculture as a global village.

Keyword

person, relationality, uniqueness, self, others, cross-cultural dialogue

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