Introduction to classical Chinese philosophy

291 Pages·2011·2.812 MB·English

by  Norden, Bryan W Van

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“This book is an introduction in the very best sense of the word. It provides a
the beginner with an accurate, sophisticated, yet accessible account, and offers n
new insights and challenging perspectives to those who have more specialized n classical
knowledge. Focusing on the period in Chinese philosophy that is surely most o
easily approachable and perhaps most important, it ranges over a rich set of r
competing options. It also, with admirable self-consciousness, presents a d
number of daring attempts to relate those options to philosophical figures and e
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movements from the West. I recommend it very highly.” chinese
—LEEH. YEARLEY, Walter Y. Evans-Wentz Professor,
Religious Studies, Stanford University
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“A substantial and highly accessible introduction to the indigenous
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philosophy
philosophies of China. Van Norden shares his clear distillations of classical a
Chinese philosophies using conceptual frameworks many will find familiar. s
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This reader-friendly book sets the historical and cultural contexts for the
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philosophies discussed, and includes appendices, study questions, and c
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imaginative scenarios, which aid us in appreciating some of the most n
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important philosophy ever developed.” t

—ANNPIRRUCCELLO, Professor of Philosophy, University of San Diego cr
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“This lucid introduction to early Chinese thought offers historical, textual, i
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and conceptual analyses of the schools of classical Chinese philosophy,
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illuminating their basic themes, theories, and arguments and providing
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readers with an intellectual bridge between Chinese and Western thought. ei
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Introductory texts such as this are especially needed today, as the study of p
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philosophy faces the challenges of globalization and the urgent need for h

dialogue among different philosophical traditions. it
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“An ideal text for introductory courses, this book will also inspire graduate
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students, scholars, and experts in philosophy in general, and Chinese
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philosophy in particular, with its theoretical insights and comparative o
methodology.” p
—VINCENTSHEN, Lee Chair in Chinese Thought and Culture, Department of h
Philosophy and Department of East Asian Studies, University of Toronto y
BRYANW. VANNORDENis Professor in the Philosophy Department and the
Department of Chinese and Japanese at Vassar College.
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ISBN-13: 978-1-60384-468-0
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bryan w. van norden
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Cover image: Ma Yuan, On a Mountain 9 781603 844680
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Path,ink and color on silk, Song dynasty.
introduction
to
classical
chinese
philosophy

introduction
to
classical
chinese
philosophy
Bryan W. Van Norden
Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Indianapolis/Cambridge
Copyright © 2011 b y Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
For further information, please address
Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 44937
Indianapolis, Indiana 46244-0937
www.hackettpublishing.com
Cover design by Abigail Coyle
Text design by Mary Vasquez
Composition by Agnew’s, Inc.
Printed at Sheridan Books, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Van Norden, Bryan W. (Bryan William)
Introduction to classical Chinese philosophy / Bryan W. Van Norden.
p . cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-60384-468-0 (pbk.)—ISBN 978-1-60384-469-7 (cloth)
1. Philosophy, Chinese—To 221 B.C. I. Title.
B126.V28 2011
181′ .11—dc22 2010 042112

Adobe PDF ebook ISBN: 978-1-60384-605-9
For Barbara
Lucy to my Ricky and Lois to my Peter

contents
■ ■
Preface XI
Map of China XIII
Selected Translations XIV
Selected Secondary Works XVI
1. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT
I. Myth 2
II. Early History 5
III. Th e Period of the Philosophers 10
IV. Timeline 13

2. KONGZI AND CONFUCIANISM
I. Kongzi’s Social Context and Life 18
II. Five Th emes of Confucianism 21
1. Happiness in the Everyday World 21
2. Revivalistic Traditionalism 22
3. Th e Family and Diff erentiated Caring 24
4. Ritual and Functionalism 25
5. Ethical Cultivation 29

3. KONGZI AND VIRTUE ETHICS
I. Th ree Normative Th eories 34
II. Confucianism as Virtue Ethics 38
1. Living Well 38
2. Th e Virtues 39
3. Ethical Cultivation and Human Nature 43
III. Limitations of Confucianism 44
IV. Kongzi’s Particularism 45

4. MOHIST CONSEQUENTIALISM
I. Th e Fixed Standard of Consequentialism 51
II. Criticisms of Confucianism 52
viii contents
III. Political Philosophy 58
IV. Divine Command Th eory 60
V. “Against Fatalism” and Dialectic 62
VI. “On Ghosts” and Truth 64
VII. Historical Signifi cance 67
5. YANG ZHU AND EGOISM
I. What Is Egoism? 70
1. Psychological Egoism 70
2. Ethical Egoism 74
II. What Is the Nature of a Th ing? 75
III. Early Debates over Yang Zhu’s Way 76
IV. Th e Contemporary Debate 79
6. MENGZI AND HUMAN NATURE
I. Th e Mohists, Profi t, and Impartiality 87
II. Yang Zhu and Human Nature 88
III. Th e Virtues 91
IV. Ethical Cultivation 92
V. Cosmology 97
VI. Historical Signifi cance 98
7. LANGUAGE AND PARADOX IN THE “SCHOOL OF NAMES”
I. Deng Xi and the Origins of the “School” 102
II. Hui Shi 103
III. Gongsun Long 108
IV. Th e Later Mohists 111
1. Resolving the Paradox of Deng Xi 112
2. Resolving the Paradoxes of Hui Shi 112
3. Resolving the White Horse Paradox 113
4. Th e New Foundation of Mohist Ethics 114
5. Th e Limits of Logic 116
V. Historical Signifi cance 118
8. THE DAODEJING AND MYSTICISM
I. Myth and Reality 122
II. Five Th emes 125
contents ix
1. Social Ills and Th eir Solution 125
2. Nonaction 126
3. Th e Teaching Th at Is without Words 130
4. Th e Way 131
5. Mysticism 133
III. Historical Signifi cance 135
9. Z HUANGZI’S THERAPEUTIC SKEPTICISM
AND RELATIVISM
I. Zhuangzi’s Context 142
II. Skepticism 143
III. Relativism 144
IV. Detachment in Society, Not from Society 147
V. Nonaction 150
VI. Doctrine or Th erapy? 152
VII. Conventional or Radical? 155
VIII. Historical Signifi cance 159
1 0. XUNZI’S CONFUCIAN NATURALISM
I. Xunzi’s Context 164
II. Naturalism and Ritual 164
III. History and Objectivity 168
IV. Human Nature and Psychology 171
V. Ethical Cultivation 178
VI. Historical Signifi cance 180
11. HAN FEIZI
I. Life and Context 186
II. Critique of Confucianism 187
III. Th e Five Elements of Han Feizi’s Th eory of Government 190
1. Th e Power of Position 190
2. Administrative Methods 191
3. Laws 193
4. Th e Two Handles of Government 194
5. Th e Way of the Ruler 195
IV. Th e Question of Amoralism 196
V. Historical Signifi cance 198