Western philosophy has been defined through the exclusion of non-Western forms of thought as non-philo-sophical. In this paper, I place the notion of what is “properly” philosophy into question by contrasting the essence/appearance paradigm governing Western metaphysics and its deconstructive critics with the more fluid, dynamic, and participatory forms of encountering and performatively enacting the world that are articulated in Chinese thinking and made apparent in Chinese painting. In this hermeneutical contrast, Western and Chinese thinking themselves are (...) interpeted as co-relational rather than as discrete, mutually indifferent or ethnocentrically nativist traditions. (shrink)

Presenting a comprehensive portrayal of the reading of Chinese and Buddhist philosophy in early 20th-century German thought, Chinese and Buddhist Philosophy in early Twentieth-Century German Thought examines the implications of these readings for contemporary issues in comparative and intercultural philosophy. Through a series of case studies from the late 19th-century and early 20th-century, Eric Nelson focuses on the reception and uses of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism in German philosophy, covering figures as diverse as Buber, Heidegger, and Misch. He (...) argues that the growing intertextuality between traditions cannot be appropriately interpreted through notions of exclusive identities, closed horizons, or unitary traditions. Providing an account of the context, motivations, and hermeneutical strategies of early twentieth-century European thinkers' interpretation of Asian philosophy, Nelson also throws new light on the question of the relation between Heidegger and Asian philosophy. Reflecting the growing interest in the possibility of intercultural and global philosophy, Chinese and Buddhist Philosophy in early Twentieth-Century German Thought opens up the possibility of a more inclusive intercultural conception of philosophy. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/chinese-and-buddhist-philosophy-in-early-twentieth-century-german-thought-9781350002562/#sthash.1lY6OTYj.dp uf. (shrink)

The subject of the research is that the article attempts to create a summary portrait of the cultural and linguistic personality of a Chinese student in modern Russian universities. The connection of the Chinese cultural and linguistic personality with the archetypal elements of the national image of the world determines its constant components with all changes in individual properties and qualities. At the same time, existing explicit or implicit stereotypes may be only part of a generalized portrait. The (...) Chinese cultural and linguistic personality is based on a property that is often formulated by Sinologists as vitalism. The vitality of the modern Chinese audience is explored in connection with such phenomena as "gelotocentrism" and "phagocentrism", dating back to the traditional Chinese worldview. "Gelotocentrism" allows us to understand why laughter becomes one of the dominants of the psychological atmosphere in the classroom, as well as to identify the effectiveness of "laughter didactics" at various stages of learning. Various methods were used in the course of the research, including observation, literature analysis, historical and literary research, comparative and discourse analysis. "Phagocentrism" is not just "filling the stomach", but a peculiar form of possession of higher knowledge, a mental "orientation in the space of Being". In addition, for Chinese living in Russia, food is one of the most effective ways to solve adaptation problems and relieve psychological stress. The relevance of the research is determined by the novelty of the approach, since the novelty shows that phage therapy and gelotherapy are considered as the most important modes of human existence, and their significant role in the philosophy of education is emphasized. Tracing the connection between the history of Chinese culture and its current state in the aspect of international education, the study demonstrates that associative-sympathetic thinking is directly related to the vitalistic perception of the world. Vitalism, in turn, presupposes "holism" as an integral form of mastering reality. (shrink)

The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Philosophy is a collection of essays on important texts and figures in the history of Chinese thought. The essays cover both well-known texts such as the Analects and the Zhuangzi as well as many of the lesser-known thinkers in the classical and post-classical Chinese tradition. Most of the chapters focus on thinkers or texts in one of three important historical movements: Classical ("pre-Qin") Chinese philosophy, Chinese Buddhism, and the Confucian response (...) to Buddhism ("neo-Confucianism" broadly construed). (shrink)

Understanding Chinese philosophy requires knowledge of the referential framework prevailing in Chinese intellectual traditions. But Chinese philosophical texts are frequently approached through the lens of Western paradigms. Analysing the most common misconceptions surrounding Western Sinology, Jana Rošker alerts us to unseen dangers and introduces us to a new more effective way of reading Chinese philosophy. Acknowledging that different cultures produce different reference points, Rošker explains what happens we use rational analysis, a major feature of the European (...) intellectual tradition, to read Chinese philosophy. We rely on impossible comparisons, arrive at prejudiced assumptions and fail to arrive at the truth, the consequence of applying a different methodology to the process of perceiving, understanding and interpreting reality. Instead of transferring concepts and categories from Western sinology onto socio-cultural Chinese contexts, Rošker constructs a new methodology of reading, understanding and interpreting Chinese philosophy. She opens our eyes to the basic problems of Western paradigms, encourages intercultural approaches and allows us to master a more autochthonous understanding of Chinese philosophy. (shrink)

In contemporary academic philosophy, Chinese Philosophy remains a niche. This has a lot to do with its presentation, which often creates an impression of alienness and allegory, making its contribution, especially to analytical questions, not obvious. This paper examines how a change in presentation eases the inclusion of Chinese Philosophy into the mainstream. On the assumption that there has been an “activist turn” in the discipline in general, philosophical interest in a tradition that ranges from conceptual analysis, to (...) ethics and politics, but that is ultimately focused on motivating actions, becomes more relevant and pressing. Since, in much of Chinese Philosophy, the philosopher is an activist, if the wider discipline is indeed undergoing an “activist turn”, then there is a connection here that should be made. In this paper, the connection is explained using two examples, Mozi and Xu Fuguan. (shrink)

This article provides an overview of controversies in the history of Chinese philosophy concerning the diversity of meanings of the term Li , as well as the comparative issues raised in various attempts by modern Chinese and Western interpreters to come to terms with this diversity of meanings. Revisiting the earliest pre-philosophical uses of the term, an attempt is then made to synthesize the insights of previous interpreters and open up a new path for investigating its distinctive implications (...) in classical Chinese thought, Chinese Buddhism, and Neo-Confucianism. (shrink)

This new 4 volume collection will be organized into four distinct but complementary volumes which as a whole give a synoptic view of the major issues, conceptions, approaches, and current engaging exploration in studies of Chinese philosophy. With an introduction, newly written by the editor, which places the collected material in its historical and intellectual context, Chinese Philosophy provides everything a scholar needs to break into the field, and is an invaluable reference work for the expert.

Although the piano is an instrument with more than three hundred years of history, it has not been in China for a long time. Therefore, in the process of learning to play the piano in China, many Western piano works are often played, but rarely come into contact with Chinese-style piano works. With the development of time, thanks to the relentless search for outstanding Chinese composers, more and more piano works based on ethnic culture and Chinese style (...) appear. Some of these works are based on the music of national minorities, some are adaptations of Chinese folk songs, and some are borrowed from folk music. "Spring Dance" is a typical work reflecting the culture of the Uighurs living in Xinjiang. The work is melodic, rhythmic, expresses the beautiful nature of Xinjiang, the warm and energetic character of the Uighur people.This article analyzes the "Chinese style" of the "Spring Dance" in the hope that it will serve as a basis for studying piano works with Chinese national flavor. The "Chinese style" in rhythms is not only an imitation of the rhythms of traditional folk instruments, but also an imitation of the peculiarities of the language of Chinese national minorities. Thanks to the study of the "Chinese style" in this work, the author understood more deeply the unique charm of Chinese piano works which will also serve as a guide for the subsequent study of such piano works. (shrink)

The idea of the present sixth volume in the Boston Col lege Studies in Philosophy entitled "Contemporary Chinese Philosophy" was conceived by the editor several years ago, before the current resumption of Chinese American political and economic amity occurred offi cially. Several preceding volumes in this series had studied various aspects of Marxism especially Soviet Marxism. Possibilities for dialogue between Christians and Marxists were discussed not only in the series but elsewhere too in various philosophical journals and books (...) through the sixties and seventies. It was only a natural outcome then to wonder about the same possi bilities in regard to Chinese Marxism. Hence I sent off to many potential contributors - scholars in the field - the following proposal seeking papers for a volume on Contemporary Chinese Philosophy. The themes that should constitute the content of the articles were as follows: 1. How rigidly do contemporary Chinese adhere to Marxism-Leninism? Naturally this means principally the educated persons, but it might include the non-academic segment of the peop. le. By Marxism-Leninism here, J mean the contemporary Soviet brand. Hence, I do not. mean Marx's early writings or the developments of people like Kolakowski. 2 . Are they constrained to think in a kind of hori zontal materialism or are they open to a species of transcendence that might include the God problem or a belief in another life after this one on earth? 3. (shrink)

_Contemporary Chinese Philosophy_ features discussion of sixteen major twentieth-century Chinese philosophers. Leading scholars in the field describe and critically assess the works of these significant figures. Critically assesses the work of major comtemporary Chinese philosophers that have rarely been discussed in English. Features essays by leading scholars in the field. Includes a glossary of Chinese characters and definitions.

​This book gathers research and writings that reflect on traditional and current global issues related to art and aesthetics, gender perspectives, body theories, knowledge and learning. It illustrates these core dimensions, which are bringing together philosophy, tradition and cultural studies and laying the groundwork for comparative research and dialogues between aesthetics, Chinese philosophies, Western feminist studies and cross-cultural thought. Pursuing an interdisciplinary approach, the book also integrates philosophical enquiries with cultural anthropology and contextual studies. As implied in the title, (...) the main methodologies are cross-cultural and comparative studies, which touch on performances in art and aesthetics, social existence and education, and show that philosophical enquiries, aesthetical representation and gender politics are simultaneously historical, living and contextual. The book gathers a wealth of cross-cultural reflections on philosophical aesthetics, gender existence and cultural traditions. The critical thinking within will benefit undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers in the area of comparative philosophies. It blends academic rigor with personal reflection, which is a critical practice in feminist philosophy itself. (shrink)

• Sixteen collected essays examine Chinese Philosophy around 4 major topics • Furthers and deepens fundamental inquiries, including: What is philosophy? Is there more than one origin of philosophy? Have we embraced other traditions as well as integrated others into our own? How do we view Chinese philosophy in the multi-origins of the world philosophy and vice versa? • The second volume of the festschrift for celebrating the Journal of Chinese Philosophy’s 40th anniversary.

Specific Chinese models for theories of knowledge were premised upon a structurally ordered external reality; since natural (or cosmic) order is organic, it naturally follows the 'flow' of structural patterns and operates in accordance with structural principles that regulate every existence. In this worldview, our mind is also structured in accordance with this all-embracing, but open, organic system. The axioms of our recognition and thought are therefore not arbitrary, but follow this rationally designed structure. The compatibility of both the (...) cosmic and mental structures is the basic precondition that enables humans to perceive and recognize external reality. The present study shows that this paradigm of structural epistemology can already be found in the earliest Chinese theories of knowledge. The introduction of Chinese models and their incorporation into Western discourses fills an important theoretical gap in the Western model of structuralism. This book offers an insight into epistemological systems that arose outside the discourses of the Euro-American tradition. It can thus help us to eliminate and supersede certain culturally conditioned prejudices as to the superiority and omnipresence of Western theoretical models, while demonstrating incontrovertibly that the results of Western discourses are by no means the only force driving theoretical innovation at the present time. (shrink)

This book examines different views on the concept of truth in early Chinese philosophy, and considers a variety of theories of truth in Chinese and comparative thought.

The work explains a unifying pluralist account of truth that combines representative truth-concern approaches in Chinese philosophy to posit one foundation of the various movements of thought in Chinese philosophy that pursue “how things are.” Mou contributes a unique, Eastern view to contemporary exploration of the philosophical issue of truth.

The development of modern Chinese thought involves an ongoing interaction between internal processes and impacts of foreign ideas. Several intellectual controversies are interwoven into its history and among these one of the more philosophical ones began some 90 years ago, in 1923. In this controversy, supporters of science or scientism and supporters of metaphysics or Confucian tradition debated issues of what both sides referred to as "the view of life." The study of the view of life controversy by Gad (...) C. Isay discusses the positions of the view of life supporters who upheld metaphysics against scientism. It focuses on both the philosophical merit of their views and the relevance of these views to the question of culture in modern China. Considering the sources of the view of life problem in traditional Chinese thought and the discussions that followed after the controversy, it is argued that the view of life question was a central theme in Chinese thought from its beginning. In this respect, modern discussions of this problem indicate continuity with the past. However, these discussions demonstrate too, the dynamics of changing conceptions regarding the context of human relationships that are related directly to the meeting with the West. Isay's study traces the development of these discussions from their beginning up to our days giving a comprehensive survey of the philosophy of the view of life in modern Chinese thought. (shrink)

Ph.D. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2018.

A concise alphabetic guide to the main concepts,figures, topics and important movements of thought that have shaped Chinesephilosophy over the last three thousand years. The entries are conciselywritten, terms are cross-referenced and transcriptions are typically givenin the pinyin system. Chinese Philosophy A-Z stresses philosophicalrelevance in choosing entries while paying due attention to historical linksbetween relevant ideas and movements of thought. The volume also shows howsome of the central ideas under discussion contribute to the philosophicalenterprise as a whole. The book (...) is aimed at students, teachers ofphilosophy, and educated non-specialists who are interested in Chinesephilosophy, particularly those readers new to Chinese philosophy. (shrink)

A complete translation and analysis of "All Things Flow into Form" (Fan wu liu xing), a recently discovered manuscript from the Warring States period (481-221 BCE).

Over the past three decades a progressive transformation of the law and legal institutions in China took place as part and parcel of China’s broader modernization process driven by economic reform and development. The recognition and protection of private property as embodied in the amendment of the 1982 Constitution, the 2007 Property Law and other legislations, is one of the stories contributing to the transformation of modern Chinese law and legal institutions, which reflects a historical modernization process of socio-economic (...) change in contemporary China. However, this study by examining the development of a legal framework for the protection of private property, the problems related to urban housing demolition, and the rule of law in relation to the protection of private property, submits that the legal modernization in the protection of private property had no radical departure from, but confined within and compromised with, China’s current existing systems which, among others, still uphold socialist ideology and practice. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Chinese Buddhism and the Threat of Atheism in Seventeenth-Century EuropeThierry MeynardWhen the Europeans first came to Asia, they met with the multiform presence of Buddhism. They gradually came to understand that a common religious tradition connected the different brands of Buddhism found in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan, and China. I propose here to examine a presentation of Buddhism written in Guangzhou by the Italian Jesuit Prospero Intorcetta (1626-1696) (...) around the year 1668. This text was later edited by the Flemish Jesuit Philippe Couplet (1623-1693) and published in Paris in 1687, within an encyclopedia on Chinese thought titled Confucius Sinarum Philosophus (The Chinese Philosopher Confucius, hereafter called CSP).In the first part of this study, I shall introduce the background of the Jesuit encounter with Buddhism, first in Japan and then in China, as well as their literary production on the subject. Then, I shall examine Intorcetta's presentation of Chinese Buddhism, especially his understanding of the two faces of Buddhism: Pure Land Buddhism, which he categorized as superstition, and Chan Buddhism, categorized as atheism. These two notions of superstition and atheism seem contradictory, but in fact they are derived from Intorcetta's interpretation of the Buddhist theory of the "two truths." I shall conclude with an evaluation of Intorcetta's account. Because this early presentation of Buddhism exists only in Latin, I have inserted excerpts that I have translated.Historical Background of the Encounter with BuddhismSince the sixteenth century, missionaries have traveled to different regions of Asia and collected information about the religions they encountered, including Buddhism. They also exchanged information among themselves, asking questions of colleagues in order to confirm and complete information. The missionary reports were sent to Europe for their superiors and were sometimes published as such, but more often incorporated into larger works. [End Page 3]The First Encounter, from Japan to ChinaAmong the first reports reaching Europe about Buddhism were the letters of the Spanish Jesuit Francis-Xavier (1506-1552), who drew information from Yajiro, a Japa nese he met in Malacca in 1547. During his own stay of more than two years in Japan, in 1549-1551, Francis-Xavier had exchanges with monks and could progress in his understanding of Buddhism. His letters were very influential among the network of Jesuit schools in Europe, being copied and read at many venues.1 Other missionaries in Japan, like Cosme de Torres (1510-1570), Luís Fróis (1532-1597), and Baltasar Gago (1515-1583), went further in understanding Buddhism.Also, when, at the end of the sixteenth century, the Jesuit missionaries approached Buddhism in China, their understanding was already shaped by fifty years of knowledge gained in Japan. Just as in Japan, the China Jesuits were interested in Buddhism because it provided them with an indigenous vocabulary in which to express Christian ideas. Thus, the missionary was perceived as a kind of Buddhist monk. The symbolic identification with Buddhism went even further than in Japan, because for more than ten years in Guangdong, from 1579 to 1595, they adopted Buddhist dress and shaved their heads.However, as the missionaries deepened their understanding of the Buddhist doctrine, they realized that many tenets could not be reconciled with Christianity. Since they were greatly concerned about disseminating the orthodox faith and avoiding dubious theories, which they believed to be the tricks of the devil, they distanced themselves from Buddhism and became closer to Confucianism, whose discourse, which focused on moral life in the present world, did not directly conflict with the supernatural truths of Christianity. While Michele Ruggieri (1543-1607) and Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) had initially started interacting with Chinese culture by using Buddhism, later on Ricci abandoned this approach and started to use Confucianism as the main medium. In the Tianzhu shiyi (True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven), Ricci wrote for his Chinese readers a strong refutation of the Buddhist doctrine from the standpoint of Aristotelian philosophy.2 He criticized the concept of selflessness (wuwo) on metaphysical grounds, writing that everyone should draw their existence from an ultimate origin. In his Della entrata della Compagnia di Gesù e Christianità nella China (Entry of the Society of Jesus into... (shrink)

This essay explores the traditional Chinese philosophical insights into tolerance and demonstrates how those Chinese insights are consistent with and can be illuminating to our epochal spirit. It s...

公孫龍 철학과 대립하는 중국 고대철학사의 맥락에서 『公孫龍子』의 사유방식과 세계이해를 재조명해 보는 데에 본 연구의 목적이 있다. 『공손룡자』를 중국 고대철학사의 맥락에서 떼어내어 그것 자체만 연구해서는 공손룡이 어떤 방식으로 ‘白馬非馬’와 ‘離堅白’을 논증하는지는 알 수 있지만 공손룡이 왜 ‘백마비마’와 ‘이견백’을 주장해야만 했는지는 알 수 없기 때문이다. 논의는 중국 고대철학사 흐름에서 공손룡 철학과 가장 대조되는 혜시 철학을 살펴보는 것으로 시작하였다. 이는 혜시가 ‘천지일체’를 주장하기 위해 인식과 개념 그리고 차이의 상대성을 어떻게 강조하였는지를 밝히는 작업이었다. 다음으로는 『공손룡자』의 사유방식을 ‘백마비마’를 통해 재조명하였다. 이때 「白馬論」에서 ‘백마비마’를 입증하는 네 (...) 가지 논증 방식에 입각해 논의를 끌어가지 않았다. 「通變論」의 핵심 논제인 ‘二無一’을 통해 ‘白馬非馬’의 성립을 규명하고 나아가 이의 의미를 해독하였다. 끝으로 『공손룡자』의 세계이해를 재조명하였다. 논의는 ‘指物論’에 의해 ‘堅白石二’의 성립과 그것의 의미를 해독하는 방식으로 진행되었다. 결론적으로 공손룡은 조목조목 혜시 철학을 반박하고 비판하면서 자신의 철학을 형성해나간 것이라 말할 수 있다. 혜시가 강조한 인식의 상대성에 대해 공손룡은 인간에게 지시된 것으로서의 세계만을 인정함으로써 인식의 절대성을 강조하였다. 또한 혜시는 개념의 추상성에 의지해 이것을 이것이면서 저것이라고 하고 저것을 저것이면서 이것이라 함으로써 개념을 무차별적으로 통용시킨 반면, 공손룡은 백마는 백마이고 마는 마라고 함으로써 개념의 무차별적인 혼용을 반대하였다. 뿐만 아니라, 혜시는 사물들 사이의 차이를 상대화하여 ‘천지일체’의 세계상을 주장한 반면, 공손룡은 사물들 사이의 차이를 절대화함으로써 모든 것들이 분리ㆍ독립되어 있는 세계상을 주장하였기 때문이다. (shrink)

Stota je obljetnica obnove olimpijske ideje postavila pitanje o europejstvu olimpijskog ideala u globaliziranoj stvarnosti – stota je Olimpijada, 1996. godine, bila poklonjena rodnom gradu tvrtke Coca-Cola, dok Atena sve do 2004. godine nije dobila priliku proslaviti obljetnicu, a Olimpijske igre 2008. godine održale su se u Kini. Olimpijska je ideologija u kineskom kontekstu poprimila oblik slavljenja dične kineske tradicije. Rad analizira pitanja vezana uz te zadnje Olimpijske igre te ih istražuje iz perspektive interkulturalne filozofije. Kao prvo, analizira se ideja (...) grčkog podrijetla Olimpijskih igara u svom imanentnom kasnodevetnaestostoljetnom eurocentričnom kontekstu te ju se uspoređuje s kineskom reinterpretacijom. Kao drugo, ideje usavršavanja tijela uspoređuju se u tim dvjema tradicijama , pri čemu je posebna pažnja poklonjena vezi između vlastitog rada na tijelu i interesa države/nacije. Naposljetku, olimpijska se ideologija analizira kroz svoj odnos prema interkulturalnim pitanjima te su Olimpijske igre u Pekingu 2008. godine interpretirane kao znak smjene paradigme u olimpijskoj ideologiji.The 100th anniversary of the revival of the Olympic idea questioned the Europeanness of the Olympic ideal in the globalised reality – the 1996 centennial Olympics were given to the hometown of Coca-Cola Company, and it wasn’t until 2004 that Athens got the chance to celebrate the anniversary, while the 2008 Olympics went to China. In Chinese context the Olympic ideology was refurbished into a celebration of the glorious Chinese tradition. The paper analyses the issues brought about by this last Olympic Games and examines them through the perspective of intercultural philosophy. First, the idea of Greek origin of the Olympics is analysed in its immanent late 19th century Eurocentrist context and compared to its Chinese re-interpretation. Secondly, the ideas of cultivation of body are compared in the two traditions with special attention given to the connection between self-cultivation and the interests of the country/nation. Finally, the Olympic ideology is analysed through its attitude towards inter-cultural issues and the Beijing 2008 Olympics are interpreted as an indication of a paradigm shift in the Olympics ideology. (shrink)