Evidently, Lin Yutang' s "Theory of Spiritual
Expression" has been influenced by Croce' s
"Theory of Expression" , which
was acknowledged by Lin Yutang himself. But what Lin referred to as "Theory of Spiritual Expression" is both similar to and different from what Croce called
"Theory of Expression". The latter is an artistic theory which takes the human soul as its center and attaches much importance to the expression and activity of the human soul. And it is an organic component of his entire
philosophy about the human soul. As Croce attributes all human activities to the results of expression of man' s soul, his "Theory of Expression" , naturally and inevitably, cannot avoid being lop - sided or one - sided. On the contrary, Lin Yutang' s "Theory of Spiritual Expression" is an art proposition or principle that rests on human life and sets great store by the comfortable unfolding and complete freedom of the inner heart. For this reason, it is closely related to his whole philosophy concerned with human feelings or emotions. As his close -to-feeling philosophy greatly values practical human life and demands showing good sense, his " Theory of Spiritual Expression" naturally does not restrict people' s activities to a designated area or sphere, and therefore, it is by no means as lopsided as Croce's "Theory of Expression".