Introduction

Mapping Intimacies ◽

10.1093/oso/9780197572962.003.0001 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Mercedes Valmisa

Keyword(s):

Chinese Philosophy ◽

Philosophy Of Action ◽

Relational Ontology ◽

Basic Notion ◽

Classical Chinese

The Introduction explains the implications of a relational ontology for the conception of agency in Classical Chinese philosophy and how it differs from philosophy of action in contemporary analytical circles. It presents two approaches to relationality: the basic notion that everything exists in interrelation and a stronger account that implies interdependency and oneness. It introduces the notion of adapting in contrast with other models of agency. Adapting is a strategy of efficacious relational action precisely devised to acknowledge and take advantage of a strong account of relationality where acting necessarily is acting along with others or co-acting.

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The Art of Chinese Philosophy

10.23943/princeton/9780691200798.001.0001 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Paul Goldin

Keyword(s):

Chinese Philosophy ◽

Philosophical Tradition ◽

Current Form ◽

Han Feizi ◽

Textual History ◽

Classical Chinese ◽

History Of ◽

Crucial Characteristic ◽

The Way

This book provides an unmatched introduction to eight of the most important works of classical Chinese philosophy—the Analects of Confucius, Mozi, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Sunzi, Xunzi, and Han Feizi. The book places these works in rich context that explains the origin and meaning of their compelling ideas. Because none of these classics was written in its current form by the author to whom it is attributed, the book begins by asking, “What are we reading?” and showing that understanding the textual history of the works enriches our appreciation of them. A chapter is devoted to each of the eight works, and the chapters are organized into three sections: “Philosophy of Heaven,” which looks at how the Analects, Mozi, and Mencius discuss, often skeptically, Heaven (tian) as a source of philosophical values; “Philosophy of the Way,” which addresses how Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Sunzi introduce the new concept of the Way (dao) to transcend the older paradigms; and “Two Titans at the End of an Age,” which examines how Xunzi and Han Feizi adapt the best ideas of the earlier thinkers for a coming imperial age. In addition, the book presents explanations of the protean and frequently misunderstood concept of qi—and of a crucial characteristic of Chinese philosophy, nondeductive reasoning. The result is an invaluable account of an endlessly fascinating and influential philosophical tradition.

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Paradigm of Change (Yi ) in Classical Chinese Philosophy: Part I

Journal of Chinese Philosophy ◽

10.1163/15406253-03604004 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 36 (4) ◽

pp. 516-530

Author(s):

Chung-Ying Cheng

Keyword(s):

Chinese Philosophy ◽

Classical Chinese

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Human Dignity in Classical Chinese Philosophy: The Daoist Perspective

Journal of Chinese Philosophy ◽

10.1163/15406253-0400304010 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 40 (3-4) ◽

pp. 493-510

Author(s):

Qianfan Zhang

Keyword(s):

Human Dignity ◽

Chinese Philosophy ◽

Human Person ◽

Modern Society ◽

Well Being ◽

The State ◽

Individual Freedom ◽

Traditional Morality ◽

Classical Chinese ◽

Spiritual Well Being

This article discusses the Daoist contribution to the idea of human dignity in the classical Chinese philosophy, particularly in aspects that had been ignored by the Confucians and the Moists. By criticizing the traditional morality and reviving the faith in a primitive, self-sufficient life, Laozi and Zhuangzi add an important dimension to the classical understanding of human dignity: individual freedom, particularly the freedom of living under minimum burden, direction, and oppression of the state. By comparing the Daoist conception of human dignity with those of the Confucians and Moists, the article concludes that all three classical schools, if rationally construed, should support the view that the establishment of a liberal constitutional scheme is necessary to preserve and protect minimum/basic dignity in both physical and spiritual well-being of every human person who lives in a modern society.

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