US author Carlin Romano says what strikes him most about China today is how modern and energetic it is. Mei Jia / China Daily

In his latest book, literary critic and writer Carlin Romano has taken a bold attempt to overthrow cliches about Americans. Mei Jia finds out more.

To the surprise of most people, New York born literary critic and writer Carlin Romano claims in his new book that today's America is the most philosophical culture in the history of world. And he calls incumbent President Barack Obama the "philosopher in chief".

And like philosophical Americans, Chinese people are equally smart and practical, cherishing the problem-solving spirit as one of the strongest philosophical traditions in both countries, Romano says during his recent visit in Beijing.

"Both America and China are great cultures, with fantastic intellectual traditions in history and sparkling ideas," Romano says. "Both people believe in taking action rather than to sit still."

To Romano, who has been watching China closely from the other side of the Pacific, even dating shows which have been flooding China's TV are not on the opposite side of philosophy, but they present more material for philosophical thinking.

"When women on the shows ask men if they have apartments, cars, it makes people think what's marriage and love.

"And if a girl says to a boy that we're different because we live in different cities, and the boy answers we're not, we have the same values, it's just like the beginning of thinking about elements of philosophy in love," he says.

In his book, America the Philosophical, Romano expands the notion on philosophy beyond books or university lectures.

For example, he believes a concierge who stands and talks at the hotel gate for 30 minutes with a guest on social justice, can be a philosopher, if he speaks clearly and presents examples.

"It's about a way of thinking about the world, care for logic, evidence, open to criticism and argument, sense of bigger picture, sustained attention to philosophical problems," he adds.

Based on that argument, Obama, who read serious philosophy during his student days, grows up not being an angry person, thinks about many points of view and makes decisions in the context of larger principles, is therefore naturally the "chief".