The 2021 China (Qufu) International Confucius Cultural Festival and the 7th Nishan Forum on World Civilizations opened in Qufu, Shandong, on September 27th. Nearly 200 Chinese and international experts and scholars engaged in debates and exchanges of views under the theme of “Dialogue among Civilizations and Global Cooperation” within two days.

Zhang Zhigang (Professor of Department of Philosophy and Department of Religious Studies, Peking University)

Human will not always follow the path of “everlasting hatred”.

"Dialogue among religions can be regarded as the frontier theory of international religious studies, and has become a hot topic in the global theoretical circle." Zhang Zhigang said that dialogue among religions is not only about the peaceful coexistence of religions, but also about the relationship between nations, countries, and even civilizations. Without dialogue among religions and research on religions, it would be difficult to achieve dialogue among civilizations. True religious belief is not only possible, but also a practical way to resolve the conflict of civilizations.

Zhang Zhigang believes that philosophy with Confucian morality at its core is the mainstream of Chinese traditional culture. Modern society is developing towards the objective of "lasting hatred must be reconciled". “Humans are the smartest and most rational animals, and they will not always follow the path of everlasting hatred. This is the tradition of Chinese philosophy and the future of world philosophy.”