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The Unity of Yin and Yang: a Philosophical Assessment
The Unity of Yin and Yang: A Philosophical Assessment Thaddeus T'ui-chieh Hang National Chengchi University, Taipei "One yin ^ and one yang d, constitute what is called Tao 51"; "When yin and yang are united in their virtue, the soft and the hard attain their physical shape." These famous statements are drawn from the "Appended Remarks" (Hsi-tz'u Slit?) of the / Ching %M.. Since they were uttered more than two thousand years ago, they became the metaphysical foun- dation for the two great philosophical schools of China, namely, Taoism and Confucianism. For both these schools, yin and yang, two contrasting but mutually compensating components constitute unity in harmony. We shall endeavor to give an historical account of this concept, describe it phenomenologically, and venture a philosophical assessment from cos- mological, anthropological, as well as theological points of view. I. An Historical Account The origin of yin-yang ideas must be sought in very ancient times. In the Book of Poetry (Shih-ching I^M?i<) the words "yin" and "yang" signified the north and south sides of a mountain.1 In the Book of Historical Documents (Shu-ching US?) the two words never appeared together ex- cept in the apocryphal "Chou-kuan" /SJ1T. Even in the Analects of Con- fucius there is no mention of yin-yang. However, the eight trigrams were probably in use at the beginning of the Chou )*] dynasty (late 12th cen- tury B.C.). Since the eight trigrams consist of combinations of broken and 'James Legge, The Chinese Classics: Vol. IV, Book of Poetry (Taipei, 1972), Ode 19, p. -
A New Examination of Confucius' Rectification of Names
Journal of chinese humanities � (���6) �47-�7� brill.com/joch A New Examination of Confucius’ Rectification of Names Cao Feng (曹峰) Professor of Philosophy, Renmin University, China [email protected] Translated by Brook Hefright Abstract Confucius’ explanation of the “rectification of names” is not necessarily related to the theories of “social status” and “names and actuality.” The reason scholars have inter- preted the rectification of names in the Analects in so many different ways is, to a large degree, due to assumptions about Confucius’ thinking by his successors, and based on the views on rectification of names among later generations. In the course of the devel- opment of thinking about names, scholars have augmented Confucius’ own explana- tion, gradually fleshing it out from an empty shell into a substantial edifice. The original meaning may have been very simple: Confucius did not wish to establish a standard system of names. Rather, he was simply the first person in history to realize the impor- tance of language in politics. As a politician, Confucius noticed and foresaw the influ- ence that the indeterminacy, ambiguity, and arbitrariness of names could have on politics. He discerned the political consequences when language could not accurately express meaning or when there was no way for people to accurately perceive it. He also recognized how names, as a way of clarifying right and wrong and establishing norms, could have a great effect on a society’s politics. Although Confucius noted that disunity in speech could lead to disunity in politics, he did not propose a solution. -
A Confucian Defense of Shame: Morality, Self-Cultivation, and the Dangers of Shamelessness
religions Article Article Article A ConfucianA Confucian Defense Defense of Shame: of Shame: Morality, Morality, Self-Cultivation, Self-Cultivation, A Confucian Defense of Shame: Morality, Self-Cultivation, and theand Dangers the Dangers of Shamelessness of Shamelessness and the Dangers of Shamelessness Mark BerksonMark Berkson Mark Berkson Department of Religion,Department Hamline of Religion, University, Hamline St. Paul, University, MN 55104, St. USA;Paul, [email protected] 55104, USA; [email protected] Department of Religion, Hamline University, St. Paul, MN 55104, USA; [email protected] Abstract: ManyAbstract: philosophers Many and philosophers scholars in and the scholars West have in the a negative West have view a negative of shame. view In muchof shame. In much of Abstract: Many philosophers and scholars in the West have a negative view of shame.of post-classical In much ofpost-classical Western ethical Western thought, ethical shame thought, is compared shame is negativelycompared negatively with guilt, with as shame guilt, isas shame is asso- post-classical Western ethical thought, shame is compared negatively with guilt, asassociated shame is asso- withciated the “outer”, with the how “outer”, one appears how one before appears others before (and othe thusrs is (and merely thus a is matter merely of a “face”), matter of “face”), and ciated with the “outer”, how one appears before others (and thus is merely a matterand of “face”), guilt is and associatedguilt is associated with the “inner”with the realm “inner” of therealm conscience of the conscience and soul. and Anthropologists soul. Anthropologists and and philoso- guilt is associated with the “inner” realm of the conscience and soul. -
China's Place in Philology: an Attempt to Show That the Languages of Europe and Asia Have a Common Origin
CHARLES WILLIAM WASON COLLECTION CHINA AND THE CHINESE THE GIFT Of CHARLES WILLIAM WASON CLASS OF IB76 1918 Cornell University Library P 201.E23 China's place in phiiologyian attempt toI iPii 3 1924 023 345 758 CHmi'S PLACE m PHILOLOGY. Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023345758 PLACE IN PHILOLOGY; AN ATTEMPT' TO SHOW THAT THE LANGUAGES OP EUROPE AND ASIA HAVE A COMMON OKIGIIS". BY JOSEPH EDKINS, B.A., of the London Missionary Society, Peking; Honorary Member of the Asiatic Societies of London and Shanghai, and of the Ethnological Society of France, LONDON: TRtJBNEE & CO., 8 aito 60, PATEENOSTER ROV. 1871. All rights reserved. ft WftSffVv PlOl "aitd the whole eaeth was op one langtta&e, and of ONE SPEECH."—Genesis xi. 1. "god hath made of one blood axl nations of men foe to dwell on all the face of the eaeth, and hath detee- MINED the ITMTIS BEFOEE APPOINTED, AND THE BOUNDS OP THEIS HABITATION." ^Acts Xvil. 26. *AW* & ju€V AiQionas fiereKlaOe tij\(J6* i6j/ras, AiOioiras, rol Si^^a SeSafarat effxarot av8p&Vf Ol fiiv ivffofievov Tireplovos, oi S' avdv-rof. Horn. Od. A. 22. TO THE DIRECTORS OF THE LONDON MISSIONAEY SOCIETY, IN EECOGNITION OP THE AID THEY HAVE RENDERED TO EELIGION AND USEFUL LEAENINO, BY THE RESEARCHES OP THEIR MISSIONARIES INTO THE LANGUAOES, PHILOSOPHY, CUSTOMS, AND RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, OP VARIOUS HEATHEN NATIONS, ESPECIALLY IN AFRICA, POLYNESIA, INDIA, AND CHINA, t THIS WORK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. -
On Hegel's Conception of Modern Philosophy
PROBLEMI INTERNATIONAL,The ATEIZEMTime vol. 4,of 2020; Philosophy PROBLEMI, vol. 58, no. 11-12, 2020 © Society for Theoretical Psychoanalysis The Time of Philosophy: On Hegel’s Conception of Modern Philosophy Zdravko Kobe In the Preface to the Elements of the Philosophy of Right, Hegel included a couple of iconic formulations, which have agitated his readers ever since. As regards the relationship between phi- losophy and its time, he famously referred to the now proverbial figure of Minerva’s owl: When philosophy paints its grey in grey, a shape of life has grown old, and it cannot be rejuvenated, but only recognized, by the grey in grey; the owl of Minerva begins its flight only with the onset of dusk. (GW 14, p. 16; EPR, p. 23)1 But nothing compares to the notorious Doppelsatz: What is rational is actual; and what is actual is rational. (GW 14, p. 14; EPR, p. 20) The two quotations are often read as Hegel’s vindication of philosophical quietism and conformism. Since every philosophy is “its time comprehended in thought,” and since it appears “only 1 In general, Hegel’s works are cited here according to the reference editions Gesammelte Werke (Hegel 1968f.) and Vorlesungen (Hegel 1983f.), whereas the letters are cited according to the Hoffmeister edition (Hegel 1952f.). The available English translations are used and cited after the semicolon. 73 Zdravko Kobe at a time when actuality has […] attained its completed state,” philosophy simply cannot turn its gaze to the future, let alone assume any significant role in transforming the world. Quite the contrary, by comprehending what is, philosophy is bound to ac- knowledge the rationality of the actual, to bring about reconcili- ation with it, and as such, to conform to the existing order. -
The Old Master
INTRODUCTION Four main characteristics distinguish this book from other translations of Laozi. First, the base of my translation is the oldest existing edition of Laozi. It was excavated in 1973 from a tomb located in Mawangdui, the city of Changsha, Hunan Province of China, and is usually referred to as Text A of the Mawangdui Laozi because it is the older of the two texts of Laozi unearthed from it.1 Two facts prove that the text was written before 202 bce, when the first emperor of the Han dynasty began to rule over the entire China: it does not follow the naming taboo of the Han dynasty;2 its handwriting style is close to the seal script that was prevalent in the Qin dynasty (221–206 bce). Second, I have incorporated the recent archaeological discovery of Laozi-related documents, disentombed in 1993 in Jishan District’s tomb complex in the village of Guodian, near the city of Jingmen, Hubei Province of China. These documents include three bundles of bamboo slips written in the Chu script and contain passages related to the extant Laozi.3 Third, I have made extensive use of old commentaries on Laozi to provide the most comprehensive interpretations possible of each passage. Finally, I have examined myriad Chinese classic texts that are closely associated with the formation of Laozi, such as Zhuangzi, Lüshi Chunqiu (Spring and Autumn Annals of Mr. Lü), Han Feizi, and Huainanzi, to understand the intellectual and historical context of Laozi’s ideas. In addition to these characteristics, this book introduces several new interpretations of Laozi. -
Han Fei and the Han Feizi
Introduction: Han Fei and the Han Feizi Paul R. Goldin Han Fei 韓非 was the name of a proli fi c Chinese philosopher who (according to the scanty records available to us) was executed on trumped up charges in 233 B.C.E. Han Feizi 韓非子, meaning Master Han Fei , is the name of the book purported to contain his writings. In this volume, we distinguish rigorously between Han Fei (the man) and Han Feizi (the book) for two main reasons. First, the authenticity of the Han Feizi —or at least of parts of it—has long been doubted (the best studies remain Lundahl 1992 and Zheng Liangshu 1993 ) . This issue will be revisited below; for now, suffi ce to it to say that although the contributors to this volume accept the bulk of it as genuine, one cannot simply assume that Han Fei was the author of everything in the Han Feizi . Indeed, there is a memorial explic- itly attributed to Han Fei’s rival Li Si 李斯 (ca. 280–208 B.C.E.) in the pages of the Han Feizi ( Chen Qiyou 陳奇猷 2000 : 1.2.42–47); some scholars fear that other material in the text might also be the work of people other than Han Fei. Second, and no less importantly, even if Han Fei is responsible for the lion’s share of the extant Han Feizi , a reader must be careful not to identify the philosophy of Han Fei himself with the philosophy (or philosophies) advanced in the Han Feizi , as though these were necessarily the same thing. -
Han Feizi's Criticism of Confucianism and Its Implications for Virtue Ethics
JOURNAL OF MORAL PHILOSOPHY Journal of Moral Philosophy 5 (2008) 423–453 www.brill.nl/jmp Han Feizi’s Criticism of Confucianism and its Implications for Virtue Ethics * Eric L. Hutton Department of Philosophy, University of Utah, 215 S. Central Campus Drive, CTIHB, 4th fl oor, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA [email protected] Abstract Several scholars have recently proposed that Confucianism should be regarded as a form of virtue ethics. Th is view off ers new approaches to understanding not only Confucian thinkers, but also their critics within the Chinese tradition. For if Confucianism is a form of virtue ethics, we can then ask to what extent Chinese criticisms of it parallel criticisms launched against contemporary virtue ethics, and what lessons for virtue ethics in general might be gleaned from the challenges to Confucianism in particular. Th is paper undertakes such an exercise in examining Han Feizi, an early critic of Confucianism. Th e essay off ers a careful interpretation of the debate between Han Feizi and the Confucians and suggests that thinking through Han Feizi’s criticisms and the possible Confucian responses to them has a broader philosophical payoff , namely by highlighting a problem for current defenders of virtue ethics that has not been widely noticed, but deserves attention. Keywords Bernard Williams, Chinese philosophy, Confucianism, Han Feizi, Rosalind Hursthouse, virtue ethics Although Confucianism is now almost synonymous with Chinese culture, over the course of history it has also attracted many critics from among the Chinese themselves. Of these critics, one of the most interesting is Han Feizi (ca. -
Divination, Fate Manipulation and Protective Knowledge in And
Divination, Fate Manipulation and Protective Knowledge In and Around ” The Wedding of the Duke of Zhou and Peach Blossom Girl ” , a Popular Myth of Late Imperial China Vincent Durand-Dastès To cite this version: Vincent Durand-Dastès. Divination, Fate Manipulation and Protective Knowledge In and Around ” The Wedding of the Duke of Zhou and Peach Blossom Girl ” , a Popular Myth of Late Imperial China. Michael Lackner. Coping with the future: theories and practices of divination in East Asia, Brill, 2017, Sinica Leidensia, 9789004346536. hal-01695407 HAL Id: hal-01695407 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01695407 Submitted on 29 Jan 2018 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Divination, Fate Manipulation and Protective Knowledge In and Around “The Wedding of the Duke of Zhou and Peach Blossom Girl”, a Popular Myth of Late Imperial China Vincent Durand-Dastès The story of the wedding of Peach blossom girl is a rather peculiar comic and magic narrative of late imperial China, first appearing at the end of the Yuan dynasty and afterwards continually retold and restaged. Its protagonist is a divine fortuneteller named Zhougong 周 公 (literally, “the Duke of Zhou”) who goes down into the world to open a soothsayer shop. -
A Case Study of the Chinese Repository
Durham E-Theses Orientalism and Representations of China in the Early 19th Century: A Case Study of The Chinese Repository JIN, CHENG How to cite: JIN, CHENG (2019) Orientalism and Representations of China in the Early 19th Century: A Case Study of The Chinese Repository, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/13227/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 ORIENTALISM AND REPRESENTATIONS OF CHINA IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY: A CASE STUDY OF THE CHINESE REPOSITORY Cheng Jin St. Cuthbert’s Society School of Modern Languages and Cultures Durham University This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2019 March 2019 DECLARATION This dissertation is the result of my own work and includes nothing, which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except where specifically indicated in the text. -
Analysis of Cultural Resources of Taoist Landscape Architecture in Qingcheng Mountain Tan Huicun Tourism College of Sichuan
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research (ASSEHR), volume 80 International Conference on Education, Culture and Social Development (ICECSD 2017) Analysis of Cultural Resources of Taoist Landscape Architecture in Qingcheng Mountain Tan Huicun Tourism College of Sichuan Agricultural University *email: [email protected] Abstract. Qingcheng Mountain as a Taoist mountain, Sichuan important tourist destination, rich in tourism and cultural resources. Qingcheng Mountain as a national 5A-class tourist attractions, which contains the rich Taoist landscape cultural resources constitute Qingchengshan tourism cultural resources is an important part of the tourists is an important source of attractiveness. Keywords: Qingcheng Mountain, Taoist landscape, Cultural resources, Tourism. 1 Introduction Qingcheng Mountain as the fifth cave of Taoism, after the operation of it has a rich Taoist landscape cultural resources. It is important to enhance the cultural experience of tourists in the tourism experience, and to explore its inner cultural connotation, to enhance the visibility and attractiveness of Qingcheng Mountain and to enhance the cultural experience of tourists in tourism. 2 A Survey of Taoist Landscape Cultural Resources in Qingcheng Mountain Taoist landscape, it refers to the Taoist architecture as the core component of the unified natural space, socio-economic elements of the overall characteristics of the collection and space system. Qingcheng Mountain as one of the birthplace of Taoism, the mountain area is rich in Taoist landscape cultural resources [1]. In the temple, gong, guan, dian, tang, miao, tai, lou, ge, guan, she, xuan, zhai, lang, que, men, tan, yu, ta, xie, fang, qiao became a part of the landscape of the Qingcheng Mountain Taoism.It greatly enriched the Qingcheng Mountain Taoist landscape cultural resources and connotations. -
The Great Qing Code Contained the Collection of Laws Written Over a Period of More Than 2,000 Years by China’S Ruling Dynas- Ties
The Great Qing Dynasty in 1820 Qing Code: LAW AND ORDER DURING CHINA’S LAST DYNASTY THE GREAT QING CODE CONTAINED THE COLLECTION OF LAWS WRITTEN OVER A PERIOD OF MORE THAN 2,000 YEARS BY CHINA’S RULING DYNAS- TIES. THE QING, CHINA’S LAST DY- NASTY, BROUGHT THE CODE TO ITS ULTIMATE FORM. China’s first laws emerged from customs, traditions, and declarations by regional rulers. The first written code of laws appeared in 536 B.C. The purpose of the code was to control the people and maintain order. In 221 B.C., the Chin Dynasty arose and established the first centralized Chi- nese empire ruled by an emperor. This accomplishment was greatly aided by a Foundation Wikimedia law code written by Chin officials called The Qing came from Manchuria, in the northeast, which contained the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning. “Legalists.” Their idea was to eliminate special privileges for those of high status years. In 1740, Emperor Qianlong ap- and treat everyone equally under the The Qing Dynasty proved the Statutes and Sub-Statutes of law, thus protecting the weak from the The Qing (pronounced “Ching”), the Great Qing known today as the strong. The Legalists also believed in China’s last dynasty, ruled from 1644– Great Qing Code. harsh punishments for law violations to 1912. The Qing originated in Manchuria, a land northeast of China. In the early prevent crime and disorder in society. The Great Qing Code The followers of Confucius (551– 1600s, Manchuria was a possession of The Great Qing Code of 1740 estab- 478 B.C.) opposed the Legalists.