An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy

by Karyn L. Lai

ISBN13: 9780521608923

ISBN10: 0521608929

Format: Paperback

Pub. Date: 2008-09-01

Publisher(s): Cambridge University Press

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Summary

This comprehensive introductory textbook to early Chinese philosophy covers a range of philosophical traditions which arose during the Spring and Autumn (722476 BCE) and Warring States (475221 BCE) periods in China, including Confucianism, Mohism, Daoism, and Legalism. It considers concepts, themes and argumentative methods of early Chinese philosophy and follows the development of some ideas in subsequent periods, including the introduction of Buddhism into China. The book examines key issues and debates in early Chinese philosophy, cross-influences between its traditions and interpretations by scholars up to the present day. The discussion draws upon both primary texts and secondary sources, and there are suggestions for further reading. This will be an invaluable guide for all who are interested in the foundations of Chinese philosophy and its richness and continuing relevance.

Author Biography

Karyn L. Lai is Senior Lecturer in the School of History and Philosophy, University of New South Wales

Preface	p. xi
List of Dates	p. xiii
Chinese Philosophy	p. 1
Origins of Chinese Philosophy	p. 3
Features of Chinese Philosophy	p. 4
Self Cultivation	p. 4
Understanding the Self: Relationships and Contexts	p. 6
Conceptions of Harmony	p. 8
Conceptions of Change	p. 10
The Philosophy of the Yijing (The Book of Changes)	p. 11
Thinking Philosophically	p. 15
Confucius and the Confucian Concepts Ren and Li	p. 19
Reading the Analects	p. 19
Ren: Humaneness	p. 21
Ren as Love	p. 22
Ren, the Confucian Golden Rule	p. 22
Ren and the Cultivation of Special Relationships	p. 23
Ren as Ethical Wisdom	p. 24
Li: Behavioural Propriety	p. 25
Ren and Li	p. 27
Ren is Fundamental	p. 28
Li is Fundamental	p. 29
Ren and Li are Interdependent Concepts	p. 30
Ren and Li in Contemporary Philosophical Debates	p. 30
The Cultivation of Humanity in Confucian Philosophy: Mencius and Xunzi	p. 35
Mencius: The Cultivation of Human Nature	p. 36
Xunzi: The Regulation of Human Behaviour	p. 40
Li (Appropriate Behaviour) and Fa (Standards and Penal Law)	p. 41
Zhengming: Regulating Society with Prescribed Titles	p. 43
The Way of Heaven and the Way of Humanity	p. 45
Personal Cultivation and Social Development	p. 47
Character Development and the Cultivation of Skills	p. 49
Early Mohist Philosophy	p. 55
Texts and Themes	p. 56
The Essays	p. 57
Maximising the Collective Good	p. 59
Working with Standards	p. 63
Early Daoist Philosophy: The Dao De Jing as a Metaphysical Treatise	p. 71
The Origins of Daoist Philosophy and the Early Daoist Texts	p. 72
Dao as Reality: the Search for a New Reality	p. 74
Opposites: Contrast and Complementation	p. 81
De and the Integrity of the Individual	p. 84
Early Daoist Philosophy: Dao, Language and Society	p. 93
Dao, Language and Indoctrination	p. 94
Wuwei	p. 97
Wuwei and Government	p. 99
Wuwei and Learning	p. 102
The Ethics of Ziran and Wuwei	p. 105
The Mingjia and the Later Mohists	p. 111
The Mingjia Debates	p. 114
Hui Shi	p. 115
Gongsun Long	p. 118
The Later Mohists	p. 123
Argumentation and Disputation: Bian	p. 125
Language, Names and Propositions	p. 128
Scientific Discussions	p. 131
Practising Jianai: Utilitarian Morality	p. 134
Philosophy of Language in Early China	p. 136
Zhuangzi's Philosophy	p. 142
Epistemological Questions in the Qiwu Lun	p. 145
Interpretations of Zhuangzi's Scepticism	p. 152
Cultivating Knack	p. 156
The Implications of the Philosophy of the Zhuangzi	p. 166
Legalist Philosophy	p. 172
Three Basic Themes: Penal Law, Technique and Power	p. 174
Fa: Standards and Penal Law	p. 174
Shu: The Technique of Managing the Bureaucracy	p. 178
Shi: Power	p. 181
Han Fei, the Great Synthesiser	p. 184
Debates in Legalist Philosophy	p. 186
Human Nature	p. 186
Citizenry: the Role of the Common People	p. 187
Best Man and Best Laws	p. 189
Bureaucracy	p. 191
Secrecy, Power and the Control of Knowledge	p. 193
Government and Human Development	p. 195
The Yijing and its Place in Chinese Philosophy	p. 199
The Text and Commentaries	p. 201
Comprehensive Synthesis and Correlative Thinking during the Han	p. 203
Correlative Thinking: the Spirit of the Yijing	p. 212
The Primacy of Observation	p. 213
A Holistic, All-encompassing Perspective	p. 214
A Dialectical and Complementary Approach to Dualisms	p. 215
Correlative Thinking and Resonance	p. 217
An Interpretive Approach to the Meanings of the Hexagrams and Correspondences	p. 220
Constant Movement Marked by the Inevitability of Change	p. 223
The Action-guiding Nature of the Judgements	p. 226
The Impact of the Yijing	p. 229
Chinese Buddhism	p. 235
Basic Tenets of Buddhist Thought	p. 236
The Introduction of Buddhism into China	p. 244
Chinese Buddhist Doctrines during the fifth and sixth centuries CE	p. 250
Three Treatise (San Lun) Buddhism	p. 251
Consciousness-Only (Wei Shi) Buddhism	p. 253
Tian Tai Buddhism	p. 255
Flower Garland (Hua Yan) Buddhism	p. 257
Chan Buddhism	p. 261
Chinese Buddhism	p. 267
Postscript	p. 272
Glossary	p. 278
Bibliography	p. 288
Index	p. 300
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