Development Of Chinese Philosophy Research Articles

Rewriting as Reception: Gary Snyder’s Representation of Chuang Tzu in His Eco-Poetic Literature

Authored by the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, Chuang Tzu is another culturally significant Taoist canon, aside from Tao Te Ching. Due to its essential role in the development of Chinese philosophy and literature, Chuang Tzu has drawn the attention of sinologists worldwide to introduce this oriental masterpiece to their cultures and influenced the local literati. Burton Watson’s high-quality rendition The Complete Work of Chuang Tzu(1968) has been well-received by the renowned American poet Gary Snyder, who, based on Watson’s translation, rewrote Chuang Tzu in his eco-poetic literature to show his agreement with Zhuangzi’s philosophies. Most of scholars studying Snyder, however, seem to ignore his reception of Chuang Tzu and are more inclined to credit Tao Te Ching alone for his familiarity with Taoism. Thus, this study explores Snyder’s understanding of Chuang Tzu. Borrowing André Lefevere’s concept of rewriting and seeing it as a method of reception, this article conducts a comparative analysis between Snyder’s compositions and (Watson’s translation of) Chuang Tzu and investigates how Zhuangzi’s philosophies were rewritten and interpreted in Snyder’s context. It is found that Snyder rewrote Chuang Tzu mainly through commentary and imitation, and that some ideas were embraced directly while others were redefined and repositioned.

Transcending and Calling – One Hundred Years of Philosophical Study in China and its Future Tendency

Abstract The central topic for the philosophical study in China during the past century was to relate our study to Western philosophy and solve the problem of the modernization of Chinese philosophy. Thus, the development of Chinese philosophy during this period is marked by identifying itself with Western criteria of values in addition to its self-orientation, self-introspection, self-development, and self-perfection. In the 21st century, Chinese philosophers will transcend the boundaries of the country to reconcile itself with the world and, at the same time, maintain a style of our own and set up a new theoretical system of Chinese philosophy. At the turn of the century and millennium, it is customary to look back and summarize the state of development of this century, drawing inspiration and lessons from it to anticipate and look forward to the next century. Since the 1990s, Chinese philosophical circles have held various forms of seminars on this topic, raising insightful and contemplative questions that have contributed significantly to an in-depth exploration of the issue.

Calling for the Third Enlightenment through a Dialogue on Modernity, Liberalism and the Revival of Guoxue

On 31 October 2018, Paul Huang of Shanghai University and Professor Huang Yusheng of Tsinghua University had an academic dialogue. They recalled and reflected on the "Second Enlightenment" in China that began in 1978. Then they reflected on the Absoluteness, modernity and freedom in Chinese context from the perspective of comparative Chinese and Western philosophy. By a review of their academic research, they exchanged ideas on current hot topics in Chinese philosophical research, how the development of Chinese philosophy in the context of globalization can be adapted to Chinese society. Issues of temporality, freedom, individual subjectivity and the Absolute are discussed in the context of modernity, liberalism and the revival of Chinese classical studies. The two scholars call for attention to Luther and the advent of the Third Enlightenment as a way of rectifying the flaws left by the beheading of Western and Eastern philosophical thought. In particular, they suggest that the absoluteness of truth should be protected by sorting out the distinction between anthropology and theology within Western studies.

Guo Xiang’s Ontology of Zide

This article aims to investigate Guo Xiang’s notion of zide (self-realisation) through the framework of his non-linear and non-binary model, which was the result of his successful amalgamation of Confucian and Daoist ideals at a chaotic but also syncretic time in the historical development of Chinese Philosophy. A Neo-Daoist, Guo Xiang tried to distance himself from primitive escapism, but this has led scholars to misunderstand him as a fatalist. Looking at his ontological construction of what consists as zide, however, reveals a profound image of the autonomous self who is, simultaneously and on equal levels, both self-sufficiently independent and in possession of a unified sense of oneness with the universe. This conception of self-realisation thus goes beyond a binary self that is constantly torn between the causal empirical reality and autonomous self-determination.

On the Influence of Translations of Religious and Philosophical Texts of Buddhism on the Literature and Art of Medieval China

The era of the Tang dynasty (618-907) was a period of great flourishing of all aspects of Chinese culture, when changes covered the most diverse spheres of philosophy, art and literature. The article examines the role played in this cultural transformation by translations from Sanskrit into Chinese of the religious and philosophical texts of Indian Buddhism. The specificity of the Chinese approach to the translation of Indian texts is demonstrated, when, at the initial stage, many works were translated in a rather free style due to the lack of precisely established correspondences between Sanskrit and Chinese philosophical terms. The authors identify two additional factors that influenced the nature of the translations. Firstly, this is the requirement of compliance with the norms of public, mainly Confucian, morality. Secondly, the adaptation of the Indian philosophical context to the Chinese cultural and worldview traditions, which led to the emergence of new schools of religious and philosophical thought that were not known in India itself, such as Tiantai, Jingtu or Chan, each of which in its own way influenced the art of the Medieval China. Special attention is paid to the activities of the legendary translator, Xuanzang, whose travel to India gave a huge impetus to the development of Chinese philosophy in subsequent centuries, as well as to the contribution to Chinese culture and art, which was made by the translation activities of the three great teachers of the Tang era Shubhakarasimha, Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra.

Difference to One: A Nuanced Early Chinese Account of Tong

ABSTRACTThe graph tong同and its associated concepts, such as da-tong (Great tong大同) and xuan-tong (mystic or dark tong玄同), have played important roles in the development of Chinese philosophy. Yet tong has received scant attention from either western or eastern scholarships. This paper is a first attempt to remedy such regret. Unlike usual understandings of tong as sameness or unity, this paper presents a nuanced account from early China, that is, ‘difference to one,’ a definition from the Mozi墨子. This definition can be supported from etymological, textual, and lexical evidence. ‘Difference to one’ should not be solely attributed to a Mohist understanding; it in fact represents a common understanding of tong across philosophical streams in early China. This nuanced account provides new insights into the concept of tong in early philosophical texts, and furthermore breaks solid grounds for further studies of tong and its associated concepts.

"Reconciliation vessel" within de I-Ching book: Theoretical methodological analysis of its relevant hexagrams

The I-Ching is one of the most significant texts in the literature of the world and embodies, as no other text does, the Chinese spirit and thought. Its perpetuation along millennia has exercised crucial influence on the development of Chinese philosophy and medicine. The hypotheses of its abstractions compose a “body of assumptions” that hierarchs concepts through a self-regulated process of reciprocal control, which allows the accurate prediction of specific sequences of events according to “fields of similarities”. This peculiarity enables this system of knowledge to make possible predictions based upon the Natural Laws with incredible accuracy, which is effective to process expectations and arguments or to affirm or reject its judgments.A detailed analysis of two consecutive hexagrams (N 23 & N 24) allows the understanding not only of the bases that consolidate the “Reconciliation vessel” but also of the specific determination of its function in the frame of Risk management that can be compared to present ISO standards.

A Reflection on the Development of Chinese Philosophy in the Past One Hundred Years

A Reflection on the Development of Chinese Philosophy in the Past One Hundred Years

The Eastward Spread of Western Learning and the Sinicization of Marxist Philosophy

The spread of Western learning to the East objectively promoted the dissemination of Marxist philosophy, forming an important historical precondition for its Sinicization. Moreover, it triggered a great transformation in the historical development of Chinese philosophy and facilitated its transition from an ancient to an early modern tradition, thereby establishing through Sinicization a link between Marxist philosophy, which originated in the Western philosophical tradition, and the Chinese tradition of philosophy, and rendering Marxist philosophy Chinese. This offered the possibility that Sinicized Marxist philosophy would play a positive guiding role in the development of modern Chinese philosophy. Therefore, we may say that without the spread of Western learning to the East, there would be no Sinicization of Marxist philosophy; and without in-depth research on the relationship between the Eastward spread of Western learning and the Sinicization of Marxist philosophy, we would have no real understanding of the Sinicization of Marxist philosophy. However, the close links between the Sinicization of Marxist philosophy and the spread of Western learning do not indicate that the former is part of the history of latter. The Sinicization of Marxist philosophy does not itself belong to the category of the spread of Western learning to the East. This is because Marxist philosophy is essentially different from all other forms of what is commonly known as Western learning, and its Sinicization differs from the Eastward spread of Western learning in terms of its goals, social nature, results and effects on society.

On the Historical Status of Sun Yat-sen's World View in the Development of Chinese Philosophy

It is, to begin with, a normal and commonplace phenomenon of scholarly discourse that people would hold varying viewpoints when they come to study and discuss the world view of great historical figures such as Sun Yat-sen. What is noteworthy, however, is that if such studies stem from different points of departure, then there are bound to be major differences in their various conclusions. What should we take as a point of departure in our study of Sun Yat-sen's world view? Should it be the ready-made conclusions of the classical authors of Marxism and Mao Zedong Thought? Or should it be the realities of Sun Yat-sen's world view, serving as an object of [the study of] history of philosophy? This is the first major problem to be resolved in the area of methodology. Concretely speaking, was Sun's world view materialist or idealist? On this question Comrade Mao Zedong once made a pertinent evaluation. He said: The cosmology contained in the Three People's Principles is what is called the minsheng (people's...

On the Categories of Substance and Function in Chinese Philosophy

Editorial note [from the editors of Zhongguo shehui kexue]: This essay takes the position that the categories ti (substance) and yong (function) are a pair of categories that suffice to express the characteristics of the mode of theoretical reasoning and thought of the Chinese people. It posits that these categories, or rather, this category [in the sense that the two are symbiotic and intertwined] is a product of the development of Chinese philosophy itself. The fundamental connotations of this category of ti-yong are: first, it is a relationship between reality and its effects, functions, and character; second, it is a relationship between ontological substance (essential nature) and phenomenon. In [the history of China's ancient and modern philosophy], a set of complex and interlocking struggles has developed around this category of ti-yong between materialism and idealism, between dialectics and metaphysics, and [these struggles] have left us with very rich experiences and lessons in the area of theor...