Abstract

The key notions that frame the Confucian philosophical tradition--jen, yi, li, chih, te, t'ien, t'ien-ming, chun-tzu and others--have posed a long-standing problem of interpretation and translation in terms of traditional Western philosophical ideas and vocabulary. The purpose of this dissertation is to show how this problem can in part be ameliorated by employing the pragmatism, or pragmatic naturalism, of Charles S. Peirce and John Dewey as a means of philosophical interpretation and translation. The basic clue to unlocking the problem, I argue, lies in the concept of nature . ;Specifically, I argue that both the pragmatists and the Confucians conceive nature primarily in terms characteristic of human experience or life as a continuous process of creation and growth ; so that both Peirce and Mencius conceive nature as the continuous creation and growth of social "mind"--community and communication--or "heart-mind" , and that both Dewey and Mencius conceive the process of nature in general as integral to that of human nature in particular. Conceived as such, we find that Mencius' account of human nature amounts to a naturalistic interpretation of the Confucian Way and the key notions, indicated above, that Confucius employs in the Analects to articulate the Way. Thus, my basic thesis follows directly: The pragmatism, or pragmatic naturalism, of Peirce and Dewey provides one of our most appropriate means of interpreting and translating Confucian and other Chinese philosophies. Furthermore, since the pragmatism, or pragmatic naturalism, of Peirce and Dewey is relevant to contemporary philosophical discussion, it also provides an opportune means of indicating the contemporary relevance of Confucius and Confucian philosophy. In support of my thesis, I provide a number of original translations and arguments indicating how some of the outstanding problems of "philosophical translation" might be resolved--so that we might genuinely engage contemporary Chinese intellectuals in a mutually progressive dialogue