• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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• no.28
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• pp.447-476
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• 2010

In the 1990s the intellectuals in China were transferred into global capitalism, and faced with the changes of society deepened by capitalism, and were forced to sign on it. The New-left proposed a question to the society of modern China being accelerated in the capitalism. The controversy with the Neo-liberal became the top issue of the 1990s' world of thought. According to the New-left, 'reform' should be attained not by capitalism of laissez-faire bringing up for wealth concentration, but by extending the democracy of political affairs and economy along with fairness guarantee of social distribution and avoiding widening the gap between rich and poor. Additionally, 'opening' should be reevaluated as a problem of considering difference and polyphyletic matter. Opening is not the meaning of accepting capitalism unconditionally and transferring into global capitalism. Based on these beliefs, the New-left criticize the socialism after reform and opening. In addition, the New-left discuss how enlightenment and modernity were understood and how they should be understood. The New-left reflect that the enlightenment in China was considered as the same as one in the western societies and emphasize the efforts of having been overcoming the contradiction of modernity through the Chinese history. As a result, the New-left seek out a new perspective and an alternative proposal beyond the dichotomy between capitalism and socialism, western countries and China, and tradition and modern.