Franz Schupp: Geschichte Der Philosophie Im Überblick

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Franz Schupp: Geschichte Der Philosophie Im Überblick subjektivität 5 sven sellmer Subjektivität – das therapeutisch- soteriologische Paradigma in der indischen und griechischen Philosophie 19 fabian heubel Foucault auf Chinesisch Transkulturelle Kritik und Philosophie der Kultivie- rung 37 rafael suter Das ungenannte »Subjekt« subjektivität Die Ambiguität einer Konstruktion des Altchine- sischen: Nachdenken über Sprechen und Handeln im Gongsunlongzi und Yinwenzi 61 asiatisch-europäische konstellationen asiatisch-europäische stephan schmidt Moralsubjekt und Erkenntnissubjekt Zu einer kategorialen Unterscheidung im Denken des modernen Konfuzianismus 83 Richard A. H. King Aristoteles und Xun Kuang über das Wissen, wie man handeln soll 112 Rezensionen & Tipps 99 heinz kimmerle 136 Die schwere Last der Komplementarität IMPRESSUM Antwort auf Innocent I. Asouzus Kritik an der inter- kulturellen Philosophie 137 forum polylog bestellen bücher Franz Gmainer-Pranzl Verpflichtung auf Argumentation zu: Franz Schupp: Geschichte der Philosophie im Überblick Franz Schupp: Die nun veröffentlichten Skripten zu den Vorle- verdeutlicht dies etwa an der Seinslehre des Geschichte der Philosophie sungen über die Geschichte der Philosophie, die Parmenides (vgl. Bd. I, S. 90–101), am dialek- im Überblick. Franz Schupp von 1979 bis 2002 an der Univer- tischen (und nicht bloß effizient-pragmatischen) Band 1: Antike (ISBN sität Paderborn hielt, bieten einen Überblick, Wahrheitsverständnis des Sokrates (vgl. Bd. I, 3-7873-1701-5, 444 Seiten) der profunde Text- und Geschichtskenntnis S. 168–177) oder an der Topik und Syllogistik Band 2: Christliche Antike, mit einer Interpretationskompetenz auf ho- des Aristoteles (vgl. Bd. I, S. 265–285). Was Mittelalter (ISBN 3-7873-1702-3, hem theoretischen Niveau verbindet. Schupp das vieldiskutierte Verhältnis von »Mythos� 548 Seiten) bezeichnet seinen Versuch, anhand von Ori- und »Logos� betrifft, vertritt Schupp eine kla- Band 3: Neuzeit (ISBN ginaltexten der Philosophiegeschichte grund- re Option für einen »vernünftigen� Umgang 3-7873-1703-1, 584 Seiten) legende Problemstellungen und Argumenta- mit der begegnenden Wirklichkeit, auch wenn Felix Meiner Verlag, Frankfurt tionsformen vorzustellen, die betreffenden die »Vernunft� brüchig, angreifbar und mehr- 2003. Texte zu verarbeiten und eigene Gedanken deutig – und jedenfalls nicht »naturgegeben� – . anzufügen, mit dem mittelalterlichen Begriff ist: »›Logos‹ als ›Vernunft‹ ist nicht etwas, was »Kompilation� (Bd. I, S. XV); durch diese Me- dem Menschen ›natürlicherweise‹ mitgegeben thode versucht er erstens zu zeigen, dass die in wäre. Ohne Zweifel hatten die Menschen im- der Geschichte der Philosophie diskutierten mer schon die Fähigkeit, sich in ihrer Welt zu Fragen auch für gegenwärtige Fragen relevant orientieren, d. h. sich Handlungsmodelle zu sind, und zweitens, dass sich die angeblich so entwerfen. Dass man dies aber mit ›Vernunft‹, unüberschaubare Vielfalt an Paradigmen und d. h. unter anderem mit Abstraktionen, mit Strömungen philosophischen Denkens auf »ei- Versuchen einheitlicher Theoriebildung, mit nige wenige systematische Positionen� (Bd. I, Argumentationsformen und Logik unter- S. XVI) beschränken lässt. nimmt, ist ein historisches und kein natürliches Der erste Band stellt die Grundströmungen Phänomen, es ist ein Ereignis der Geschichte, des antiken – vor allem: griechischen – Denkens das bis heute seine ungeheuren und manchmal dar. Philosophische Themen und Fragestel- auch ungeheuerlichen Auswirkungen zeigt� lungen werden nicht bloß »historisch� referiert, (Bd. I, S. 42). polylog 19 sondern von ihrem theoretischen Anspruch Der zweite Band behandelt einen Zeitraum, Seite 124 und ihrer Aporetik her erschlossen; Schupp der vom Einfluss des Christentums geprägt ist & medien – was Schupp eingangs problematisiert. Die orie in »Sprachanalyse� (Bd. II, S. 449) sowie Bewegung des Christentums, dem es »gelang, der als »Nominalismus� bezeichnete Umbruch der Zeitrechung ihren ›Stempel‹ aufzudrü- im Spätmittelalter – werden systematisch, pro- cken� (Bd. II, S. 3), konnte sich einerseits in blemorientiert und durch einen ausgewiesenen die spätantiken – vornehmlich hellenistischen Bezug auf zahlreiche Primärtexte expliziert. – Weltanschauungen der Spätantike einfügen Interessant ist die im Neuplatonismus wurzeln- und die maßgeblichen Zeitfragen und kultu- de und tendenziell antiaristotelische Linie, die rellen Elemente integrieren, barg aber ander- Schupp aufzuzeigen versucht: »Plotin – Prok- seits in sich ein Potential an Fragen, das die los – Dionysios Areopagita – Scotus Eriugena – »»Die Intellektuellen waren das eigene religiöse und kirchliche Identität all- Nikolaus von Kues – Hegel. Dies ist die idealis- Produkt einer gesellschaftlichen mählich umformte, ja sprengte: »Schon in den tische Tradition der europäischen Philosophie� und kulturellen Entwicklung, ersten entscheidenden Fragen der ›christlichen (Bd. II, S. 138). Auch für die islamisch geprägte so wie früher einmal die Philosophie‹, die zur Philosophie des Mittelal- Philosophie sieht Schupp einen ähnlichen Zu- Mönche und die Einsiedler aus ters führten, ist jenes Konfliktpotential gegen- sammenhang: »Vom Rationalismus, vermittelt bestimmten kulturellen und wärtig, das das Ende der mittelalterlichen Phi- durch die Mystik, zum Idealismus� (Bd. II, religiösen Bedürfnissen einer losophie hervorrufen wird� (Bd. II, S. 26). Ein S. 270). Und schließlich taucht am Ende des Gesellschaft hervorgegangen Schwerpunkt der Auseinandersetzung mit der Mittelalters – konkret durch Meister Eckhart waren. Von irgendeiner Kontinu- »christlichen Antike� liegt auf Augustinus und – nochmals diese Konstellation auf: »Rationa- ität sollte man allerdings besser dessen Vermittlung von Platonismus und Chri- lismus und Mystik treten häufig gleichzeitig und nicht sprechen, die Intellektu- stentum, die »bis zur naiven Gleichsetzung� oft auch bei ein und denselben Vertretern auf� ellen waren nicht die Nachfolger (Bd. II, S. 94) führte. Die Grenze zwischen (Bd. II, S. 489). der meditierenden Mönche, Antike und Mittelalter setzt Schupp mit dem 8. Die Darstellung des dritten Bandes reicht und die heutigen Professoren- Jahrhundert an – eine Phase mit einem »für die vom frühneuzeitlichen Humanismus und der Wissenschaftsmanager sind Geschichte der Philosophie einschneidende[n] Renaissance über die »klassischen� Philo- nicht die Nachfolger der Bücher- und Wissensschwund� (Bd. II, sophen des 16. bis 18. Jahrhunderts (u. a. Ba- Intellektuellen.« S. 224); so ist etwa Boethius als antiker, Al- con, Descartes, Spinoza, Hobbes, Locke, Leib- (Bd. II, S. 319) kuin als mittelalterlicher Philosoph anzusehen. niz, Hume) zur Philosophie der Aufklärung, Die großen mittelalterlichen Denksysteme Kant, den deutschen Idealismus (Fichte, He- (darunter auch die Beiträge islamischer und gel, Schelling) über das 19. Jahrhundert (Feu- jüdischer Denker sowie deren Rezeption, vgl. erbach, Marx, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Bd. II, S. 223–336) – vor allem Anselm von Nietzsche) bis hin zu drei maßgeblichen Den- Canterbury, Bonaventura, Albertus Magnus, kern des frühen 20. Jahrhunderts: Peirce, Fre- Thomas von Aquin, die Auseinandersetzung ge und Wittgenstein – und nicht weiter. Bereits um die Aristotelesrezeption an der Pariser im Vorwort zum ersten Band hatte Schupp Universität im 13. Jahrhundert, Ockhams diese Abgrenzung mit der Anmerkung ge- polylog 19 Wendung von Metaphysik und Erkenntnisthe- rechtfertigt: »Für mich geht die Geschichte bis Seite 125 bücher zum Ende des Ersten Weltkriegs, alles nach- ten, anderseits den Menschen zu erlösen. Und her war für mich gegenwärtig und ist für mich Schupp resümiert: »Die gesamte Geschichte noch nicht zur Geschichte geworden� (Bd. I, der Philosophie ist von einer mehr oder we- S. XVII). Wie auch immer – der dritte Band niger ausdrücklichen Auseinandersetzung um erweist sich als intensiver und kenntnisreicher dieses verschiedene und letztlich unvereinbare Nachvollzug von Problemkonfigurationen, die Verständnis von Vernunft durchzogen� (ebd.). bis heute viele Auseinandersetzung im wissen- Schupp zeigt in seinen Überlegungen immer schaftlichen, kulturellen und gesellschaftlichen wieder, dass ihm die Relevanz interkultureller »Die »Die Grenzen dessen, was Bereich beeinflussen. Vermittlung – auch in Bezug auf erkenntnisthe- zur Philosophie gerechnet Besonders eindrücklich sind die beiden oretische und logische Plausibilitäten – vertraut werden soll, werden wahrschein- Bilanzen in Bezug auf den »Rationalismus� ist (vgl. bes. Bd. I, S. 22 und Bd. III, S. 422); lich immer fließend bleiben, aber (Bd. II, S. 259–266) und »Empirismus� (Bd. III, ob und inwiefern das von ihm vorausgesetzte dies sollte nicht zur Beliebigkeit S. 275–277) und deren erkenntnistheoretische Verständnis von »Rationalität� tatsächlich in führen«. Implikationen, die das Verständnis von »Philoso- der Lage ist, dem Anspruch philosophischen (Bd. III, S. 319). phie� in grundsätzlicher Weise mitbestimmen: Denkens als eines Menschheitsthemas gerecht zu »Dort, wo versucht wird, nicht nur intersub- werden, bleibt fraglich. Bis sich diesbezüglich jektiv überprüfbar zu argumentieren, sondern eine Klärung abzeichnet, hält man sich am be- wo auch der Versuch unternommen wird, die sten an den Rat von Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Regeln korrekter Argumentation genau, was den Schupp aus dessen Werk »Neue Abhand- nicht notwendigerweise heißt: formal, darzu- lungen über den menschlichen Verstand IV� stellen, liegt Philosophie vor� (Bd. III, S. 319). zitiert: »Da die Menschen also nicht vermeiden Auch wenn keine Definition all
Recommended publications
  • International Yearbook of Aesthetics Volume 18 | 2014 IAA Y Earbook
    International Yearbook of Aesthetics Volume 18 | 2014 IAA Yearbook edited by Krystyna Wilkoszewska The 18th volume of the International Yearbook of Aesthet- ics comprises a selection of papers presented at the 19th International Congress of Aesthetics, which took place edited by Krystyna Wilkoszewska in Cracow in 2013. The Congress entitled “Aesthetics in Action” was in- tended to cover an extended research area of aesthet- ics going beyond the fine arts towards various forms of human practice. In this way it bore witness to the transformation that aesthetics has been undergoing for a few decades at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. edited by Krystyna Wilkoszewska International Yearbook of Aesthetics 2014 Volume 18 | 2014 ISBN 978-83-65148-21-6 International Association for Aesthetics International Association for Aesthetics Association Internationale d'Esthetique Wydawnictwo LIBRON | www.libron.pl 9 788365148216 edited by Krystyna Wilkoszewska edited by Krystyna Wilkoszewska Proceedings of the 19th International Congress of Aesthetics, Cracow 2013 International Yearbook of Aesthetics Volume 18 | 2014 International Association for Aesthetics Association Internationale d'Esthetique Cover design: Joanna Krzempek Layout: LIBRON Proofreading: Tim Hardy ISBN 978-83-65148-21-6 © Krystyna Wilkoszewska and Authors Publication financed by Institute of Philosophy of the Jagiellonian University Every efort has been made to obtain permission to use all copyrighted illustrations reproduced in this book. Table of contents Krystyna Wilkoszewska
    [Show full text]
  • {PDF EPUB} Xunzi Basic Writings by Xun Kuang Xunzi 荀子
    Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Xunzi Basic Writings by Xun Kuang Xunzi 荀子. The book Xunzi 荀子 "Master Xun", also called Sunqingzi 孫卿子 or Xunqingzi 荀卿子, is a philosophical book of the late Warring States period 戰國 (5th cent-221 BCE). It belongs to the Confucian treatises but is not rated as a Confucian Classic because it contains numerous propositions that were for a long time classified as unorthodox. Xun Kuang. The author of the book Xunzi was Xun Kuang 荀況 (trad. 313-238 BCE) or Xun Qing 荀卿 (sometimes also called Sun Qing 孫卿), called Xunzi "Master Xun", a scholar from the regional state of Zhao 趙 who dwelled at the court of the kings of Qi 齊 where he was an eminent scholar at the Jixia state academy 稷下. When the state of Qi was conquered by the armies of Yan 燕, the scholars at the Academy were scattered into the four winds, and Xunzi went to the southern state of Chu 楚 to become a follower of Lord Chunshen 春申君. In 279 he returned to Qi, where he was at that time the most prominent teacher. After the death of King Xiang 齊襄王 (r. 283-265), he left Qi and served King Zhaoxiang of Qin 秦昭襄王 (r. 306-251). He admired the results of the administrative reform in that state, but also stressed that Qin was lacking the advice of experts in ritual matters, and therefore only used a combination of codified bureaucracy with an expansive militarism which would in the eyes of Xunzi not good in the long run.
    [Show full text]
  • Rūta Stanevičiūtė Nick Zangwill Rima Povilionienė Editors Between Music
    Numanities - Arts and Humanities in Progress 7 Rūta Stanevičiūtė Nick Zangwill Rima Povilionienė Editors Of Essence and Context Between Music and Philosophy Numanities - Arts and Humanities in Progress Volume 7 Series Editor Dario Martinelli, Faculty of Creative Industries, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Vilnius, Lithuania [email protected] The series originates from the need to create a more proactive platform in the form of monographs and edited volumes in thematic collections, to discuss the current crisis of the humanities and its possible solutions, in a spirit that should be both critical and self-critical. “Numanities” (New Humanities) aim to unify the various approaches and potentials of the humanities in the context, dynamics and problems of current societies, and in the attempt to overcome the crisis. The series is intended to target an academic audience interested in the following areas: – Traditional fields of humanities whose research paths are focused on issues of current concern; – New fields of humanities emerged to meet the demands of societal changes; – Multi/Inter/Cross/Transdisciplinary dialogues between humanities and social and/or natural sciences; – Humanities “in disguise”, that is, those fields (currently belonging to other spheres), that remain rooted in a humanistic vision of the world; – Forms of investigations and reflections, in which the humanities monitor and critically assess their scientific status and social condition; – Forms of research animated by creative and innovative humanities-based
    [Show full text]
  • Chinese Letters and Intellectual Life in Medieval Japan: the Poetry and Political Philosophy of Chūgan Engetsu
    Chinese Letters and Intellectual Life in Medieval Japan: The Poetry and Political Philosophy of Chūgan Engetsu By Brendan Arkell Morley A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Japanese Language in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor H. Mack Horton Professor Alan Tansman Professor Paula Varsano Professor Mary Elizabeth Berry Summer 2019 1 Abstract Chinese Letters and Intellectual Life in Medieval Japan: The Poetry and Political Philosophy of Chūgan Engetsu by Brendan Arkell Morley Doctor of Philosophy in Japanese University of California, Berkeley Professor H. Mack Horton, Chair This dissertation explores the writings of the fourteenth-century poet and intellectual Chūgan Engetsu 中巌円月, a leading figure in the literary movement known to history as Gozan (“Five Mountains”) literature. In terms of modern disciplinary divisions, Gozan literature straddles the interstices of several distinct areas of study, including classical Chinese poetry and poetics, Chinese philosophy and intellectual history, Buddhology, and the broader tradition of “Sinitic” poetry and prose (kanshibun) in Japan. Among the central contentions of this dissertation are the following: (1) that Chūgan was the most original Confucian thinker in pre-Tokugawa Japanese history, the significance of his contributions matched only by those of early-modern figures such as Ogyū Sorai, and (2) that kanshi and kanbun were creative media, not merely displays of erudition or scholastic mimicry. Chūgan’s expository writing demonstrates that the enormous multiplicity of terms and concepts animating the Chinese philosophical tradition were very much alive to premodern Japanese intellectuals, and that they were subject to thoughtful reinterpretation and application to specifically Japanese sociohistorical phenomena.
    [Show full text]
  • Dao Companion to the Philosophy of Xunzi, Dao Companions to Chinese Philosophy 7, DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-7745-2 1 2 M
    Eric L. Hutton Editor Dao Companion to the Philosophy of Xunzi Editor Eric L. Hutton Department of Philosophy University of Utah Salt Lake City , UT, USA Dao Companions to Chinese Philosophy ISBN 978-94-017-7743-8 ISBN 978-94-017-7745-2 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-7745-2 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016953488 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
    [Show full text]
  • 467381 1 En Bookbackmatter 371..409
    Summaries of the Articles Part I Interrogating Essence Chapter 1 Richard Taruskin Essence or Context? Keywords: Hanslick, Burke, Kant, Meyer, the beautiful, the sublime, form versus content, essence versus context, nature versus culture, time versus space, metaphor, musical structure My title indicates my skepticism of the word “essence” as applied to music, and the article consists of a gloss, in response to Nick Zangwill’s writings on Hanslick, of the passage on that important figure from my Oxford History of Western Music. In every case my take contrasts with Nick’s, so that a comparison of my discussion with his contribution to this volume (plus the five footnotes I added in response to it) will amount to a veritable survey of esthetic issues on which philosophers and musicologists frequently disagree. They include the relationship between the beautiful and the sublime (the one founded, in Burke’s formulation, on pleasure, the other on pain); the relationship between musical form and musical content (with the attendant issue, so important to Hanslick, of absolute music); the distinction between nature and culture and the place of musical studies among the sciences; the necessity and the possible abuse of metaphor in the perception and description of music; and, finally, the ontological status of “structure” in a temporally unfolding art form, and the question of spatialization. The concluding section proposes that Leonard B. Meyer’s aesthetics propound a more useful model for musical dis- cussion than does Hanslick’s. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 371 R. Stanevičiūtė et al. (eds.), Of Essence and Context, Numanities - Arts and Humanities in Progress 7, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14471-5 372 Summaries of the Articles Chapter 2 Nick Zangwill Music, Essence and Context Keywords: Hanslick, Taruskin, essence, history, artefact, culture, absolute music, beauty, sublime I defend the application of the notion of essence to music.
    [Show full text]
  • Peter Harvey 6 Confucius 46 David L
    The World’s Great Philosophers The World’s Great Philosophers Edited by ROBERT L. ARRINGTON © 2003 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5018, USA 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton South, Melbourne, Victoria 3053, Australia Kurfürstendamm 57, 10707 Berlin, Germany The right of Robert L. Arrington to be identified as the Author of the Editorial Material in this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published 2003 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The world’s great philosophers / edited by Robert L. Arrington. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-631-23145-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)—ISBN 0-631-23146-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Philosophers. 2. Philosophy. I. Arrington, Robert L., 1938– B29 .W69 2003 109¢.2—dc21 2002004264 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. Set in 10/12.5 pt Baskerville by SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong Printed and bound in Great Britain by T J International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall For further information on Blackwell Publishing, visit our website: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com Contents List of Contributors viii Preface xi 1 Aquinas 1 Timothy Renick 2 Aristotle 9 Russell Dancy 3 Augustine 23 Vernon J.
    [Show full text]
  • Xun Kuang's Philosophical Thought
    JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS ISSN- 2394-5125 VOL 7, ISSUE 06, 2020 XUN KUANG’S PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT Dr. Vo Van Dung, Khanh Hoa University Email: [email protected] Mobile phone: 0948666159 Abstract Xun Kuang’s philosophical thought was born and developed in a chaotic period in China. His philosophical thought was not an exception when he introduced a new look into his philosophical system which seemed to be old issues, by which he wished to build a better society. Also, Xun Kuang’s doctrine also had a certain influence on his temporary period in which he was living, with his dedication to worldview, epistemology and social views. Though his philosophical views were closely linked with the interests of new aristocratic class, actively defending the rising feudal tyranny at the end of the Warring States period, the achievements in his philosophical system, such as radical atheism in the conception of nature, the development of cognitive theory and logic, and the view of the active role of human activities in world perception and transformation, are a huge step in the history of ancient Chinese philosophy. Keywords: thought, philosophy, Xun Kuang, worldview, methodology. 1. Introduction Xun Kuang is a thinker, an educator and a writer under the Warring States period. He was also a Confucian Guru, the last representative of Confucian thought in the Confucian period, with the preservation of typical works of Confucianism. In his works, he critically summarized the ideological achievements of Xiānqín, building the Confucian ideology, the Faija and other theorists, on the basis of Confucianism which was the subject.
    [Show full text]
  • Primary Source Document with Questions (Dbqs) SELECTION from the XUNZI: “HUMAN NATURE IS EVIL” Introduction Xunzi (Xun Qing
    Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) SELECTION FROM THE XUNZI: “HUMAN NATURE IS EVIL” Introduction Xunzi (Xun Qing, or Xun Kuang: c. 310-c. 219 BCE) lived at the very end of the Zhou dynasty. Like Mencius, he was an advocate and interpreter of the teachings of Confucius. Living a generation after Mencius, Xunzi lived through the final, brutal wars which ended with the state of Qin absorbing and unifying all the Chinese feudal states. Xunzi was a widely traveled scholar, teacher, and official. Document Excerpts with Questions (Longer selection follows this section) From Sources of Chinese Tradition, compiled by Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, 2nd ed., vol. 1 (New York: Columbia University Press, 1999), 179-183. © 1999 Columbia University Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Selection from the Xunzi: “Human Nature Is Evil” Human nature is evil: its goodness derives from conscious activity. Now it is human nature to be born with a fondness for profit. Indulging this leads to contention and strife, and the sense of modesty and yielding with which one was born disappears. One is born with feelings of envy and hate, and, by indulging these, one is led into banditry and theft, so that the sense of loyalty and good faith with which he was born disappears. One is born with the desires of the ears and eyes and with a fondness for beautiful sights and sounds, and, by indulging these, one is led into licentiousness and chaos, so that the sense of ritual, rightness, refinement, and principle with which one was born is lost.
    [Show full text]
  • A Discussion of Xunzi's “Encouraging Learning” and Its Significance For
    Journal of chinese humanities � (���6) �7�-�89 brill.com/joch A Discussion of Xunzi’s “Encouraging Learning” and Its Significance for Confucianism Wang Bo (王博) Professor of Philosophy, Peking University, China [email protected] Translated by Colleen Howe Abstract Much of Xunzi’s philosophy can be characterized as a deepening of themes introduced by Confucius and, at the same time, a reaction against Mencius’ brand of Confucianism. For Xunzi, the idea of learning was a critical concept in achieving both of these goals. In Xunzi’s philosophy, learning is not simply the accumulation of knowledge but, rather, the process of coming to understand morality as a lifelong process of self-cultivation and self-improvement. Xunzi did not agree with Mencius that human nature was inher- ently good; instead he believed that human nature was bad, which is why individuals must actively learn to control their base desires. It is no coincidence that, in Xunzi’s project of self-cultivation based on learning to overcome one’s primal nature, chapter 1 of his anthology is “Encouraging Learning.” Reexamining the respective moral philoso- phies of Xunzi and Mencius from the perspective of learning and its role in moral culti- vation can provide a deeper understanding of their overall philosophy. Keywords Confucianism learning – Mencius – moral philosophy – Xunzi The Complete Library of the Four Treasures [Siku quanshu zongmu 四庫全書 總目] says: Xun Kuang’s works aimed at illuminating the teachings of the Duke of Zhou and Confucius. He honored ceremony and valued learning. He believed that the nature of man is evil and that goodness is learned © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ���6 | doi �0.��63/�35��34�-��Downloaded340033 from Brill.com09/28/2021 01:07:37PM via free access A Discussion of Xunzi’s “Encouraging Learning” 173 through conscious effort.
    [Show full text]
  • After Confucius
    After Confucius After Confucius Studies in Early Chinese Philosophy Paul R. Goldin University of Hawai`i Press Honolulu ( 2005 University of Hawai`i Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America 10 09 0807 06 05 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Goldin, Paul Rakita. After Confucius : studies in early Chinese philosophy / Paul R. Goldin. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8248-2842-9 (alk. paper) 1. Philosophy, ChineseÐTo 221 b.c. 2. Philosophy, ChineseÐ221 b.c.±960 a.d. I. Title: Studies in early Chinese philosophy. II. Title. B126.G65 2005 1810.11Ðdc22 2004017241 University of Hawai`i Press books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Council on Library Resources. Designed by University of Hawai`i Press production staff Printed by IBT Global Gilbert L. Mattos (1939±2002) in memoriam Z«BUÊ (æ{ Év\è !(eºl Àj ãÝ ÄÃ¦ê ¨ò[ÃÈ #ý0Ì åÓ­UÁ YÄw ô»ÆA) °b G C9 Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Toward a Thick Description of Chinese Philosophy 1 1. The Reception of the Odes in the Warring States Era 19 2. Xunzi in the Light of the Guodian Manuscripts 36 3. Han Fei's Doctrine of Self-Interest 58 4. Li Si, Chancellor of the Universe 66 5. Rhetoric and Machination in Stratagems of the Warring States 76 6. Insidious Syncretism in the Political Philosophy of Huainanzi 90 7. BanZhaoinHerTimeandinOurs 112 8. Those Who Don't Know Speak: Translations of Laozi by PeopleWhoDoNotKnowChinese 119 Appendix: References to the Odes in Pre-Imperial Texts, Arranged by Mao Number 135 Notes 153 Bibliography 215 Index 261 vii Acknowledgments The debts that I have accumulated in the course of writing this book are numerous, but I owe the most to my parents and to my wife, Edilma.
    [Show full text]
  • Notes on Moral Theology: Fundamental Moral Theology at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century
    Theological Studies 67 (2006) NOTES ON MORAL THEOLOGY: FUNDAMENTAL MORAL THEOLOGY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY JAMES F. KEENAN, S.J. The author’s survey of the writings of moral theologians over the past five years shows a deep concern about both the nature of moral theology and the role of moral theologians. A certain urgency ani- mates much contemporary reflection calling the moralist to be chal- lenged by the vocation to serve the Church and to explore better the ways Westerners can learn from other cultures. In this regard, virtue ethics continues to serve as a helpful medium for such intercultural dialogue. DEATH ORAL THEOLOGIANS in France and the United States suffered the M untimely loss of revered colleagues. On August 14, 2004, Xavier Thévenot died at the age of 65. His works spanning nearly four decades treated topics such as sexuality (among the young, the old, the celibate, the homosexual); morality and spirituality; an ethics of risk; and ethical dis- cernment.1 On August 3, 2005, William C. Spohn died at the age of 61. A frequent contributor to these pages, he set the agenda for discussions on Scripture and ethics, virtue ethics, spirituality and morality, and HIV/ AIDS.2 The beloved Bill matched depth with style. JAMES F. KEENAN, S.J., received the S.T.L. and S.T.D. degrees from the Grego- rian University and is now professor of theological ethics at Boston College. His primary research interests include fundamental moral theology and its history, Aquinas’s moral theology, virtue ethics, and issues related to church leadership, HIV/AIDS, and genetics.
    [Show full text]