The convergence model of philosophical method in the early Han

Abstract

In this paper I explain the convergence model as a distinct form of syncretism in the Han, distinguishing it from both what I call exclusivism, which is challenged by Zhuangzi, and other syncretistic conceptions of method. I offer a rough outline of the structure of the convergence model as it emerges in key texts of the late Warring States and early Han periods. I first lay out the conceptual distinctions to understand the convergence model within a structure of different kinds of syncretism and pluralism. I then argue that the focus on school affiliation that many scholars of Han thought are concerned with has obscured important features of method and in particular the convergence model in Han thought. In the following sections, I turn to the Shizi, Lushi Chunqiu, and Huainanzi to illustrate a number of key features of the convergence model and texts endorsing it: explanation of the problems with exclusivism, the understanding of unity of seemingly disparate perspectives, how this unity is achieved, and by whom. The intention here is to offer a broad outline of the convergence model, which can then be built upon in future work.