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The Art of Chinese Philosophy

Eight Classical Texts and How to Read Them
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Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2020

About this book

A smart and accessible introduction to the most important works of ancient Chinese philosophy—the Analects of Confucius, Mozi, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Sunzi, Xunzi, and Han Feizi

This book provides an unmatched introduction to eight of the most important works of classical Chinese philosophy—the Analects of Confucius, Mozi, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Sunzi, Xunzi, and Han Feizi. Combining accessibility with the latest scholarship, Paul Goldin, one of the world's leading authorities on the history of Chinese philosophy, places these works in rich context as he explains the origin and meaning of their compelling ideas.

Because none of these classics was written in its current form by the author to whom it is attributed, the book begins by asking, "What are we reading?" and showing that understanding the textual history of the works enriches our appreciation of them. A chapter is devoted to each of the eight works, and the chapters are organized into three sections: "Philosophy of Heaven," which looks at how the Analects, Mozi, and Mencius discuss, often skeptically, Heaven (tian) as a source of philosophical values; "Philosophy of the Way," which addresses how Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Sunzi introduce the new concept of the Way (dao) to transcend the older paradigms; and "Two Titans at the End of an Age," which examines how Xunzi and Han Feizi adapt the best ideas of the earlier thinkers for a coming imperial age.

In addition, the book presents clear and insightful explanations of the protean and frequently misunderstood concept of qi—and of a crucial characteristic of Chinese philosophy, nondeductive reasoning. The result is an invaluable account of an endlessly fascinating and influential philosophical tradition.

Author / Editor information

Paul R. Goldin is professor of East Asian languages and civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of many books, including Confucianism, After Confucius, and Rituals of the Way: The Philosophy of Xunzi.

Reviews

"A strikingly original, reliable, readable, and therefore most welcome introduction to the gigantic topic of China's great philosophy."---Barbara Hendrischke, Religious Studies Review --- "[The Art of Chinese Philosophy] is a book I’d wanted to find before: a lucid, but not simplifying, introduction to eight classic texts, full of lapidary poetry."---Hannah Sullivan, Times Literary Supplement

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    Frontmatter

    i
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    Contents

    vii
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    Preface

    ix
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    Acknowledgments

    xi
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    Introduction: What Are We Reading?

    1
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    Chapter One. Nondeductive Argumentation and the Art of Chinese Philosophy

    13
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  • Part I. Philosophy of Heaven
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    Chapter Two. The Analects of Confucius

    31
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    Chapter Three. Mozi

    54
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    Chapter Four. Mencius

    79
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  • Part II. Philosophy of the Way
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    Chapter Five. Laozi

    109
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    Chapter Six. Zhuangzi

    129
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    Chapter Seven. Sunzi

    153
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  • Part III. Two Titans at the End of an Age
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    Chapter Eight. Xunzi

    169
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    Chapter Nine. Han Feizi

    201
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    Appendix

    229
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    Notes

    245
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    Bibliography

    293
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    General Index

    331
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    Index Locorum

    337
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
April 6, 2020
eBook ISBN:
9780691200811
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
View content
https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691200811
eBook ISBN: 9780691200811
Keywords for this book
Confucius; Laozi; Confucianism; Zhuangzi (book); Mencius; Chinese philosophy; Xunzi (book); Mohism; Philosopher; Analects; Mozi; Philosophy; Han Feizi; Han Fei; Righteousness; Son of Heaven; Sun Tzu; Taoism; Ancient China; Literature; Written Chinese; Sima Qian; Morality; Inference; Wu Xing; Writing; Yin and yang; Zou Yan; Mencius (book); Publication; Political philosophy; Xin (concept); Warfare; Rite; Wang Chong; Analogy; Preface; Wang Bi; Huang-Lao; Guan Zhong; Mawangdui; Guanzi (text); Anecdote; Heresy; Equanimity; Religion; Zhuang Zhou; Classical Chinese; Moral development; Dong Zhongshu; Resentment; Tian; Yan Ying; Guo Xiang; Xun Kuang; Longevity; Fatalism; Zhu Xi; Mourning; Heterodoxy; Rhetoric; Posthumous name; Gaozi; Hu Shih; Classical language; Theft; Redaction; Huainanzi; Zigong; Deity
Audience(s) for this book
For a non-specialist adult audience
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