Did Greek and Chinese civilisations differ a lot or share some similar opinions?

By Zhou Tongsu and Shang Bing

At the foot of the Acropolis in Athens, there are two statues standing face to face in the ancient Agora. The statues portray an imagined dialogue between Socrates and Confucius, which symbolises an encounter of ancient Greek and Chinese civilisations. Despite the geographic distance, both civilisations have contributed to humanity by providing great philosophical thoughts in their own ways. What topic might Socrates and Confucius have discussed if they really had a chance to meet with each other? As we know, philosophers always quest for the origin of mankind and how people relate to the natural world. Concerning this topic, ancient Greek and Chinese philosophers had many insightful thoughts. However, did they differ a lot or share some similar opinions? We can revisit their wisdom from both sides to find an answer.

Nature and harmony in ancient Greek philosophy

Ancient Greek philosophy deeply explored the relationships between human and nature, grounded in a profound understanding of the cosmos. In particular, pre-Socratic philosophers sought to decipher natural laws through reasoning. For example, the Pythagorean school integrated cosmic harmony into mathematics, asserting that “everything is number.” Pythagoras introduced the term ‘kosmos’ (κόσμος, meaning order and beauty) to describe the universe. He saw it as an orderly manifestation of mathematical proportions, where celestial motion and musical harmony reflected numerical rhythms. Similarly, Empedocles posited that all matter comprises four elemental roots: air, water, earth and fire, which are governed by the opposing forces of Love and Strife, illustrating the interconnectedness of the material world.

Plato, in the Republic (Πολιτεία), argued that music – including poetry and storytelling – cultivates morality and rationality, shaping an individual’s independent character. To this end, he advocated bringing rhythm and harmony into the hearts and minds of children through music education. Complementing this view, Aristotle’s ‘Golden Mean’ (μεσότης) added practical wisdom to this discourse, promoting moderation as the ideal principle governing human actions and their relationship with nature.

The Stoics extended the concept of harmony to physics and ethics. They viewed the universe as an ordered system governed by the logos (λόγος), advocating that a person achieves virtue by “Living in accordance with nature” (ὁμολογουμένως τῇ φύσει ζῆν). In addition, they also advanced that human beings should tame their desires and attain harmony with nature through reason.

Ultimately, from mathematical order and elemental theory to music education and ethical moderation, and finally to attaining virtue through alignment with nature, Greek philosophers honoured the harmony of nature and humanity, viewing humans not as conquerors but as integral participants in the natural order.

Nature and harmony in ancient Chinese philosophy

Ancient Chinese philosophers always advocated harmony between human and nature. Both the Taoists, represented by Laozi and Zhuangzi, and the Confucians, represented by Confucius and Mencius, took ‘harmonious coexistence’ as the basis of their theories. They advocated a way of living that conforms to natural order. The Six Classics (Poetry, Documents, Rites, Yi, Music, Spring and Autumn Annals), compiled by Confucius, contain many depictions of nature. For example, Poetry describes landscapes and farmlands. One poem, “Guan guan the ospreys, on the islet in the river” (Guan Ju) depicts birds resting and chirping on sandbars in a river, showing the beauty of nature. Another poem, “In the ninth month we prepare the fields, in the tenth month we bring in the harvest” (July) depicts farmers conducting agricultural production according to natural rhythms. In the Rites, Confucius raised an idea that ritual system should follow the laws of nature. The chapter Monthly Commands specifies in detail different activities to be carried out in different months, such as spring-plowing, summer-planting, autumn-harvesting and winter-storage. The chapter Hong fan of the Documents suggests that the world is composed of five elements: gold, wood, water, fire and earth, which were mutually generated and restricted. In Music, Confucius attached great importance to music, believing it could cultivate people’s temperament while connecting one’s heart with the universe. He also mentioned the ‘Middle Way’ in the Analects: “The Middle Way is a virtue”, “Too much is as bad as too little”, which showed his appreciation of a balanced method of thinking.

Laozi, representative of Taoism, proposed ‘Way of nature’ and ‘Ruling by doing nothing’ when emphasising that humans were born of nature. He advocated that humans should live in harmony with nature instead of conquering it. In the Tao Te Ching, he said: “Tao begets one, one begets two, two begets three and three begets everything,” believing the creation and development of the universe follow certain natural laws. Zhuangzi, who proposed ‘Unity of the universe and mankind’, said: “The universe and the earth are the parents of everything. Everything is one with me.” He believed that the natural world is our real home and protecting nature is protecting ourselves. Whether Taoists or Confucians, both supported a unified lifestyle with nature.

Similarities between ancient Greek and Chinese philosophy with implications

When we compare the philosophical thoughts of ancient Greece and China, we find that the similarities are amazing. The Greek theory of four elemental roots mirrors the Chinese theory of five elements; the Pythagorean theory of ‘Everything is number’ echoes Laozi’s theory of ‘Three begets everything’; both Plato and Confucius attached great importance to music education, believing that music and ethics are connected. Moreover, Aristotle’s idea of ‘Golden Mean’ coincides with Confucius’ ‘Middle Way’. Their exhortation of “moderation, balance and harmony” is a great inspiration for contemporary society. When mankind is faced with crises such as depletion of resources, ozone holes and climate change etc., the philosophers of Ancient Greece and China already pointed a way out for us, that is, to utilise resources moderately and to live in harmony with nature. This is what we call ‘sustainable development’ nowadays.

Just as in the Stoics’ ‘Conformity to nature’ and the Taoists’ ‘Unity of the universe and mankind’, ancient Greek and Chinese philosophers, when pondering about the universe and nature, all cast their eyes in the same direction, which is harmony. Only by living in harmony with nature can humans better understand it and get its gifts. This call echoes through time and space from East and West, reminding us that everyone is closely related to nature. Undoubtedly, the magical encounter between the ancient Greek and Chinese philosophers would bring an opportunity for communication and exchanges between Eastern and Western civilisations, where complementary and compatible ideas evolve to nourish mankind. In 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Civilisation Initiative at the High-level Dialogue between the Communist Party of China and the World’s Political Parties, advocating the respect for the diversity of world civilisations, the promotion of the common values of all humanity, the importance of civilisational inheritance and innovation, and the enhancement of international humanistic exchanges and cooperation. This is precisely the solution that China proposed for the common development of world civilisations. We believe that the civilisational exchanges between China and Cyprus can become a model for the world’s civilisational exchanges and mutual understanding, as well as playing a leading role in practising the Global Civilisation Initiative. By exploring similar views in ancient Greek and Chinese philosophy, we can find values that are universally shared by East and West. We can build a network of civilisational dialogue and cooperation across East and West by strengthening China-Cyprus humanistic exchanges. If we look for answers from the source of history, we will realise that peace and development are the common pursuit of all mankind. One flower’s blossom is not spring; only by preserving the diversity of the world’s civilisations will there be a spring with hundreds of flowers in blossom.

Zhou Tongsu and Shang Bing: Guangdong University of Foreign Studies