The Dual Vision of Zixue and Its Relevance to Contemporary Philosophical Innovation

Abstract

Zixue is a collective term for the knowledge and thought contained under “Philosophical Writings of the Masters” (Zi Shu 子书) in the Siku Quanshu Zongmu (Catalogue of the Complete Library in Four Divisions). From the point of view of philosophical epistemology, the branch of learning known as the Study of the Masters or zixue (子学) is in fact about broad understanding of the myriad things on the knowledge dimension and practicing discernment amid multitudinous theories and seeing intent on entering the way on the dimension of thought. The relative balance between the dimensions of knowledge and thought in zixue reflect both the historical circumstances of the continuous growth of traditional learning/knowledge and the fact that zixue is open and pluralistic in character. The innovation of contemporary Chinese philosophy must be fundamentally related to the social practice of China’s great era, but one feasible way to make this happen is to draw useful cultural inspiration from the historical process of the dynamic interaction between knowledge and thought in traditional zixue, thus allowing tradition to take on greater vitality and vigor and develop new forms.