"The Moral Topography of the Self": An Ontological Hermeneutical Theory with Psychological and Sociological Implications.

The introduction and application of hermeneutics by contemporary Chinese scholars mainly focus on the fields of philosophy, theology, law, and literary theory, while the psychological and sociological implications of this approach are often neglected. "The moral topography of the self" by Charles Taylor, a representative of the hermeneutical approach in contemporary social theories, will correct the bias. The "topography" leads to the main parts of Taylor's great book Sources of the Self, and occupies a basic position in his hermeneutical thoughts. Earlier than Sources of the Self, this theory was first published in a collection about the relationships between hermeneutics and psychological theories. Its sociological implications were demonstrated in Taylor's famous political theoretical paper The Politics of Recognition, which took it as its theoretical basis. In this writing, Taylor absorbed and revised the classical psychological and sociological thoughts of Freud, Weber, and Durkheim, turning the "topography" into an ontological hermeneutical theory with the power of interpreting complicated historical experiences in a clear way. This theory has extraordinary significance to the "cultural self-awareness" of Chinese Sociology and Psychology, because it can strongly stimulate the interest of "cultural self-awareness" in empirical studies, that is, to highlight the cultural subjectivity and communicate peacefully between cultures. Both psychology and sociology embedded in culture have integrative perspectives which make these two sciences being recognized as the fundamental disciplines of humanity and social sciences. And between the two, sociology is more outstanding in its integrative power. Taylor's discussion of "the moral topography of the self" originates from psychological issues but concludes with strong sociological implications. This way of thinking and its framework are helpful to psychology and sociology, the latter, in particular. The theory will have its unique effects in the new wave of interdisciplinary cultural studies in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]