"哲學"本身是一個重要而基本的哲學問題,對中國哲學的反思必須從對"哲學"概念本身的反思開始。哲學與所有其他學科不同,它不是出于實用的需要,而是出于人性和人存在的需要。哲學不是單純的理性活動,而是生命本身的一種基本方式。哲學不是一套現成的知識體系,而是人存在的基本方式。由于自身的存在者特點,哲學沒有明確的對象領域,而是一個海德格爾意義上的形式指示,它指向生命與存在意義之展開。所以哲學首先是一種活動、是個動詞,然后才是一門學科、是一個名詞。中國現代哲學家對哲學本身的思考大都停留在哲學的外在形態,而未及哲學的內在本原。倒是中國古代哲學家,從一開始就把握了哲學活動的本質,雖然他們沒有發明"哲學"這個名稱。哲學既然有普遍的本質,就會有一般的問題。從哲學的一般問題和中西哲學的實踐看,都可以將哲學理解為廣義的實踐哲學。但這廣義的實踐哲學連同它研究的恒常者,同樣必須從形式指示上去理解。

Philosophy itself is a fundamental philosophical issue,and the reflection of Chinese philosophy should start from reflection on the technical term “philosophy． ”Different from any discipline,philosophy derives not from any pragmatic need but from human nature and being,and is not just a rational action,but also expresses a basic way of life. Without any definite object,it is a formal indication in Heidegger’s sense,indicating the meaning of life and being. It is not a set of knowledge systems,but an activity of human existence. Modern Chinese philosophers’ eyes often settle on the external form of philosophy,while the ancient philosophers grasped its essence at the very beginning,though they did not indeed know the concept of philosophy. Since philosophy is universal,it certainly has some general problems. The practice of the Chinese and Western philosophies suggests that one can generally understand philosophy as practical philosophy in the broad sense.