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History of Chinese Philosophy: Antiquity to 1200

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History of Chinese Philosophy: Antiquity to 1200 Winter 2017 Tues. and Weds 9:00-10:40 Location TBA HISTORY OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY: ANTIQUITY TO 1200 Tracing its beginnings back to the time of the pre-Socratics, the Chinese philosophical tradition is marked by a diversity and sophistication that makes it interesting not only in its own right, but also as a point of comparative reference: it offers an alternative conceptual and moral space from which to think about basic ideas and questions, and to interrogate the very foundations of philosophical inquiry. This course introduces the maJor texts of the Chinese philosophical tradition from its beginnings c. 6th century BCE to around 1200 CE. The first half will be devoted to key early texts – those connected to the figures of Confucius, Mozi, Mencius, Xunzi, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Han Feizi and others. We will learn about the distinctive concerns and approaches of each of these texts, and the positions they represented within the cosmological, ethical and political debates that ensued during the period of the Warring States (4th-3rd centuries BCE). In the second half of the course, we will learn about new styles of inquiry that accompanied the rise and consolidation of the first empires in China, as well as those that emerged in the wake of imperial collapse in the 3rd century CE. In this part we will study texts connected to the cosmological synthesis of the Han empire; Buddhist hermeneutics and metaphysics; the “Learning of the Mystery”; medieval Daoist self-cultivation; literary theory; and Neo-Confucianism. Source texts will be read in English translation. Instructor Curie Virág Office: TBA [email protected] Tel: TBA E-mail policy I will try to respond to e-mails within 24 hours. E-mails arriving over the weekend will be answered by the following Monday. E-Learning On the e-learning site you will find handouts, readings, and announcements. We will also use the website for discussions outside the classroom and for posting short assignments. Learning outcomes 1. To achieve an understanding of the main concepts, concerns and positions of maJor early and medieval Chinese thinkers. 2. To understand how and why the Chinese philosophical tradition came to acquire the distinctive features that it did, and what its particular traJectory might indicate about the formation of other philosophical traditions. 3. To develop ways in which Chinese perspectives and ideas could be brought to bear on current or historical philosophical problems and issues. 1 | Page 4. To develop skills in the analysis and interpretation of texts and to communicate them effectively in writing and in class discussions. Course requirements and assessment 1. Participation (25%) 2. 2 presentations of readings + corresponding questions for discussion (2 x 5%) 3. Final paper presentation (5%) 3. 2 short papers (2 x 10%) 4. 2 long papers (2 x 20%) 1. Participation: Attendance, preparation, and active engagement in class discussions. Students may miss up to two classes without penalty. Further absences should be cleared with instructor and made up with a written synopsis and critical reflection on readings. 2. Presentations of readings: Each student will select 2 class meetings in which to give short presentations. These should include a) a statement about maJor points covered in the texts and their significance b) highlighting of issues of particular interest/value in these texts c) presentation of 2-3 questions for further discussion in class Please distribute a 1-2 pp handout at the beginning of the class covering the above. 3. Final paper presentations (8-10 mins.) 4. Short papers (1000-1200-words) on a topic of your choice, due on the e-learning site by 5 pm on Monday, 1/30 (in hard copy, on Tuesday 1/31) and on Monday 3/13 (in hard copy on Tuesday 3/14). You may do a close analysis/reconstruction of a text or set of texts discussed in class, or else compare the positions of a number of texts or thinkers as responses to shared intellectual predicaments. Alternatively, your paper might try to answer an open-ended question that has come up in class, or resolve a conceptual/historical puzzle raised by your chosen text(s). 5. Long paper (c. 2000 words): Similar description as the short paper but here you are expected to go beyond the summary and reconstruction of positions articulated in the texts, and to articulate an argument that can contribute to our understanding of the texts/thinkers/views more broadly, and their larger significance. In this paper you are welcome (but not required) to engage some secondary sources as well as conduct a more full-fledged comparative analysis based on relevant issues and works you may be familiar with in western philosophy. These are due by 5 pm on Monday 2/20 (hard copy Tues. 2/21) and by 5 pm on Wednesday, April 5 (hard copy in my Department mailbox before 5 pm or in person at location TBD). Successful papers will contain the following elements: 1. Clear and methodical presentation 2. Thoughtful use and analysis of relevant source material 3. Persuasive and compelling argument 4. Engagement of issues of broader conceptual/historical significance 4. Correct grammar and syntax 2 | Page SCHEDULE OF TOPICS Week Date Topic Readings 1 1/10 Course Introduction 2 1/11 Philosophy and Chinese 1. j. Garfield and B.W. Van Norden, “If Philosophy Philosophy Won’t Diversify, Let’s Call It What It Really Is.” 2. Please read at least 5 articles (representing a variety of positions) in response to the above: https://storify.com/BryanVanNorden/ethnocentrism-strikes-back 3. G.E.R. Lloyd, Analogical Investigations. Historical and Cross- cultural Perspectives on Human Reasoning, Chs.1 and 2 3. 1/17 Conceptual Foundations 1. Franklin Perkins, “Metaphysics in Chinese Philosophy,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/chinese-metaphysics/ 2. Edward Slingerland, “Effortless Action. The Chinese Spiritual Ideal of Wuwei.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 68.2: 293-327. 4 1/18 Confucius 1. Selections from E.Slingerland trans., Confucius: Analects, With Selections from Traditional Commentaries. Hackett, 2003. 2. H. Fingarette, Herbert. Confucius: The Secular as the Sacred. New York: Harper & Row, 1978: pp 1-36. Optional: E.Slingerland, “Virtue Ethics, the Analects, and the Problem of Commensurability.” Journal of Religions Studies 29.1: 97-125. 5 1/24 Mozi 1. Selections from Mozi in Ivanhoe and Van Norden: 59-114. 2. C. Fraser, “Moism and Self-Interest.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 38, no. 3 (2008): 437–54. 6 1/25 Mencius (Mengzi) 1. Selections from Mencius in B.W. Van Norden, trans., Mengzi: with Selections from Traditional commentaries. Hackett, 2008. 2. Nivison, David S. “Motivation and Moral Action in Mencius.” In Nivison and Van Norden 1996: 91-119. 3 | Page 3. Ivanhoe, Philip j. “Confucian Self Cultivation and Mengzi’s Notion of Extension.” In Liu and Ivanhoe 2002: 221-241. * Short paper #1 due 5 pm on Monday March 30 (electronic submission)* 7 1/31 Excavated Manuscripts * Hard copy of paper due in class * 1. Selections from Scott Cook, The Bamboo Texts of Guodian. A Study and Complete Translation. 2. Brindley, Erica. “Music and ‘Seeking One’s Heart-mind’ in the ‘Xing Zi Ming Chu’.’ Dao 5, no. 2 (jun 2006): 247-255. 3. Perkins, Franklin. “Motivation and the Heart in the Xing Zi Ming Chu. Dao 8, no. 2 (2009): 117-131. 8. 2/1 Guanzi 1. Selections from W. A. Rickett, trans. Guanzi. 2 vols. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1985, 1998. 2. R. Graziani, “The SubJect and the Sovereign: Exploring the Self in Early Chinese Self-Cultivation. In j. Lagerwey and M. Kalinowski eds., Vol. 1. Brill: 2009: 459-517. 9 2/7 Laozi (Daodejing) Selections from D.C. Lau, trans., Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching. London: Penguin Books, 1963. 10 2/8 Zhuangzi 1. Selections from B. Ziporyn trans., Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings. With Selections from Traditional Commentaries. Hackett 2009. 2. Ivanhoe, Philip j. “Zhuangzi on Skepticism, Skill, and the Ineffable Tao.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 64, no. 4 (1993): 639-54. 3. Optional: Fraser, Chris. “Wandering the Way: A Eudaimonistic Approach to the Zhuangzi.” Dao 13, no. 4 (Dec 2014): 541-565. 11 2/14 Xunzi 1. Selections from E. Hutton trans., Xunzi The Complete Text. Princeton 2014. 2. D. Nivison, “Xunzi on ‘Human Nature.’” In Nivison and Van Norden 1996: 203-214 12 2/15 Han Feizi 1. Selections from B. Watson, Han Feizi. Basic Writings. Columbia 2003. 2. P. Goldin, “Introduction: Han Fei and the Han Feizi” In P. Goldin ed., Dao Companion to the Philosophy of Han Fei. Springer 2013: 1-24. 4 | Page * Long paper #1 due 5 pm on Monday Feb. 20 (electronic submission)* 13 2/21 Han cosmological * Hard copy of paper due in class * Synthesis I: The Lushi Chunchiu 1. Selections from j. Knoblock and j. Riegel trans., The Annals of Lu Buwei. A Complete Translation and Study. Stanford 2000. 2. S. Cook, “The ‘Lushi chunqiu’ and the Resolution of Philosophical Dissonance. Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 62.2 (Dec 2002): 307- 345. 14 2/22 Han Cosmological “Introduction” and Selections from MaJor et al trans., The Synthesis II: Huainanzi. A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Government in Early The Huainanzi Han China. Columbia UP: 2010. 15 2/28 Self-cultivation and the Selections from Ge Hong in j. R. Ware trans., Alchemy, Medicine, Pursuit of Immortality Religion in the China of A.D. 320: 25-27, 33-52, 124-150, 200-211. in the Period of Disunion: Ge Hong 16 16 3/1 The Learning of the Selections from Wang Bi (Wang Pi) and Guo Xiang (Kuo Hsiang Mystery in Source Book: 318-324, 326-335.
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