An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy

377 Pages·2017·48.715 MB·English

by  Karyn L. Lai

An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy
ThissecondeditionofAnIntroductiontoChinesePhilosophypresentsa
comprehensiveintroductiontokeyideasandargumentsinearlyChinese
philosophy.Writteninclear,accessiblelanguage,itexploresphilosophical
traditionsincludingConfucianism,Daoism,Mohism,LegalismandChinese
BuddhismandhowtheyhaveshapedChinesethought.Drawingonthekey
classicaltextsaswellasup-to-datescholarship,thediscussionsrangeacross
ethics,metaphysicsandepistemology,whilealsobringingoutdistinctive
elementsinChinesephilosophythatfallbetweenthegapsinthese
disciplinarydivisions,therebychallengingsomeprevailingassumptionsof
Westernphilosophy.Topicsinclude:humannature,selfhoodandagency;
emotionsandbehaviour;theplaceoflanguageintheworld;knowledgeand
action;andsocialandpoliticalresponsibility.Thissecondedition
incorporatesnewideasandapproachesfromsomerecentlyexcavatedtexts
thatchangethelandscapeofChineseintellectualhistory.
KARYNL.LAIisAssociateProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofNew
SouthWalesinSydney,Australia.HerpublicationsincludeAnIntroductionto
ChinesePhilosophy(CambridgeUniversityPress,2008),LearningfromChinese
Philosophies(AshgatePublishing,2006)andnumerousresearcharticlesin
peer-reviewedjournals.

An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy
Second Edition
KARYN L. LAI
University of New South Wales, Australia
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© Karyn Lai 2017
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permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2017
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data
Names: Lai, Karyn, 1964– author.
Title: An introduction to Chinese philosophy / Karyn L. Lai, University of
New South Wales, Australia.
Description: New York : Cambridge University Press, 2016. | Originally
published: 2008. | Includes index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2016023149| ISBN 9781107103986 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781107504097 (pbk.)
Subjects: LCSH: Philosophy, Chinese.
Classifi cation: LCC B5231 .L34 2016 | DDC 181/.11–dc23 LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2016023149
ISBN 978-1-107-10398-6 Hardback
ISBN 978-1-107-50409-7 Paperback
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Contents
Preface pageix
Chronology xi
1 ChinesePhilosophy 1
Thinkers,TextsandTraditions 2
FeaturesofChinesePhilosophy 6
Self-Cultivation 6
RelationshipsandContexts 9
Harmony 11
Change 13
ThinkingPhilosophically 16
SuggestionsforFurtherReading 19
2 ConfuciusandtheAnalects 20
ReadingtheAnalects 21
Ren:Humaneness 23
RenasGeneralConcernforHumanity 24
Ren,theConfucianGoldenRule 25
RenandtheCultivationofParticularRelationships 26
RenasPracticalWisdom 27
Li:BehaviouralPropriety 28
RenandLi 30
RenIsFundamental 31
LiisFundamental 33
RenandLiareInterdependentConcepts 33
Self-CultivationandExemplaryPersonhoodinContemporary
PhilosophicalDebates 34
SuggestionsforFurtherReading 39
v
vi Contents
3 HumanNatureandCultivationinConfucianPhilosophy:Mencius
andXunzi 41
Mencius:NurturingGoodness 42
MoralityIsNotaNaturallyGivenAspectofHumanNature 44
HumanNatureIsNotNaturallyInclinedtowardsGoodness 49
NotAllHumansAreNaturallyInclinedtowardsGoodness 53
Xunzi:ShapingHumanity 55
RegulatingNames,PractisingProprietyandTransforming
HumanNature 59
TheWayofTianandtheWaysofHumanity 64
SuggestionsforFurtherReading 71
4 EarlyMohistPhilosophy 73
TheTenDoctrines 75
MaximisingCollectiveWelfare 78
WorkingwithStandards 84
SuggestionsforFurtherReading 91
5 DaoismandtheDaodejing 92
ThePhilosophyandPracticeoftheDaojia 93
Huang-LaoDaoism 94
Lao-Zhuangor“PhilosophicalDaoism” 95
DaoandDeintheDaodejing 97
Dao:RealityorCosmicVision 100
De:Potency 105
Dao:AWay 109
WuweiandZiranintheDaodejing 115
Wuwei 115
Ziran:Nature 117
Ziran:Self-So-Ness 121
SuggestionsforFurtherReading 128
6 TheMingjiaandtheLaterMohists 130
TheMingjia 133
HuiShi 134
GongsunLong 138
LaterMohistThought 144
MakingDistinctionsandRecognisingSimilarities 147
Names,PropositionsandKnowledge 150
ScientificDiscussions 155
ThePracticeofJianai:UtilitarianMorality 158
Contents vii
ArgumentationinWarringStatesChina 159
SuggestionsforFurtherReading 162
7 LegalistPhilosophy 163
ThreeBasicThemes:PenalLaw,TechniqueandPower 165
Fa:StandardsandPenalLaw 166
Shu:TechniquesforManagingtheBureaucracy 169
Shi:Power 173
HanFei,the“GreatSynthesiser” 175
DebatesinLegalistPhilosophy 178
HumanNature 178
TheCommonPeople 179
BestManorBestSystem? 181
Bureaucracy 183
Secrecy,PowerandtheControlofKnowledge 185
GovernmentandHumanWell-Being 186
SuggestionsforFurtherReading 187
8 TheZhuangzi 188
Zhuangzi’sScepticism 193
EpistemologicalQuestions 198
CultivationandMastery 207
Spirituality 208
ParticipationinPoliticalLife 213
Mastery 216
TheImplicationsofthePhilosophyoftheZhuangzi 221
SuggestionsforFurtherReading 223
9 TheYijingandItsPlaceinChinesePhilosophy 224
SynthesisandtheIntellectualFoundationsofEmpire 233
CorrelativeThinking 238
Yin-yang,WuxingandQi 239
TheNatural,ReligiousandHumanWorlds 241
TheSpiritoftheYijing 247
ThePrimacyofObservation 247
AHolistic,All-EncompassingPerspective 248
ADialecticalandComplementaryApproachtoDualisms 250
CorrelativeThinkingandResonance 252
AnInterpretiveApproachtotheMeaningsoftheHexagramsand
Correspondences 253
viii Contents
TimelinessandPracticalWisdom 255
TheImpactoftheYijing 261
SuggestionsforFurtherReading 262
10 ChineseBuddhism 265
BasicTenetsofIndianBuddhistThought 266
TheEarlyPeriodofBuddhisminChina 272
ChineseBuddhistDoctrines 281
SanLun(ThreeTreatise)Buddhism 283
WeiShi(Consciousness-Only)Buddhism 284
TianTai(HeavenlyTerrace)Buddhism 286
HuaYan(FlowerGarland)Buddhism 289
ChanBuddhism 294
ChineseBuddhistPhilosophy 301
SuggestionsforFurtherReading 303
Glossary 305
Bibliography 321
Index 349
Preface
ThisbookcoversmajorphilosophicaltraditionsinearlyChinesephilosophy,
focusingespeciallyonitsfoundationalperiod,priorto200BCE.Itdiscusses
on concepts, themes, reasoning and argumentative methods in Chinese
philosophy, introducing readers to fundamental ideas in the different trad-
itions, debates among thinkers, cross-influences between traditions, as well
as interpretive theories about these ideas, including views expressed in
contemporary scholarship. The chapters are organised partly on the basis
ofthematiccoherenceandcontinuityandlooselyaccordingtochronological
order. A Chronology is provided at the outset, placing key thinkers in rela-
tion to one another. This list is selective and brief, situating only those
thinkers and periods that are discussed in the book. The at-a-glance table
shouldhelpthereaderlocatethinkersintheirhistoricalcontextinrelation
tootherthinkers.Datesarealsoincludedinthetextinplaceswheretheyare
integraltothespecificpointbeingmade.
In a number of chapters, a section discussing textual matters is included.
These cover, for example, details of different versions of texts, connections
betweentextandthinker,orthedatingoftexts,whererelevant.Someofthis
material is quite technical, though readers should find the information
helpfulinunderstandinghowChineseintellectualhistoryshapesourgrasp
ofChinesephilosophy.
For the sake of consistency, within citations, English transliterations of
Chinese concepts, and names of thinkers and texts, have been modified to
thestandardPinyinsystem.However,thenamesofmodernandcontempor-
ary scholars (e.g. Fung, Yu-lan) have been retained so as not to confuse
bibliographic data. A short list of Suggestions for Further Reading, of pri-
maryandsecondarysources,isprovidedattheendofeachchapter.Amore
ix