Researchers in the field of indigenous psychology and philosophy have noted that explanations of differences between East and West, such as individualism/collectivism, have relied on more exclusively on theoretical constructions generated in Western cultural contexts (Cheng, 1987; Cushman and Kincaid, 1987; Peng, Spencer-Rodgers and Nian, 2006). Peng and colleagues argued that indigenous concepts should be introduced into the main study and that cultural differences between Western and Eastern people in the areas of thinking and reasoning can be attributed to differences between Western and Eastern folk epistemologies. (Peng et al., 2006). Additionally, communication theory can be explored from both Western and Eastern perspectives by integrating philosophical reflections (Cushman & Kincaid, 1987). With its rich background and knowledge about human nature and human understanding, philosophy can make contributions to contemporary communication theory by recognizing the crucial necessity of human context for communication (Cushman & Kincaid, 1987). Cheng (1987) noted that by introducing a philosophical perspective, the mode of communication can be understood in a much broader sense. For example, in comparing the differences between the West and China, scholars have pointed out that while Chinese thought and reasoning are primarily guided by the popular version of Taoism and Ch'an Buddhism, Western thought and reasoning are mainly Aristotelian in spirit (Cheng, 1987; Peng et al., 2006). The theoretical foundation of Taoist belief is the idea that two opposites are mutually dependent on each other (Peng et al., 2006). This mutual dependence can be found between form and substance, between knowledge and action, and between symbol and e...... middle of paper ......ive emphasizes altruism and submission to central authority as institutional means to achieve unity and harmony between man and nature and this is the main objective of communication. In contrast, the Western perspective emphasizes self-cultivation and the submission of human and natural resources to individual control as central means to achieve individual and collective goals. According to the Eastern perspective, an individual's participation in a collective institutional structure motivates human action and human communication and therefore fulfills the need for participation (Cushman and Kincaid, 2006). According to the Western perspective, an individual's desire for political, social, and economic self-actualization activates human action and human communication and therefore fulfills the need for self-actualization (Cushman & Kincaid)., 2006).