Suchergebnisse

'Practical Contextualism' is a multifaceted concept which, I will argue, permeates various ancient Chinese texts. The central focus of practical contextualism is to be aware of, and sensitive to, the contextual environment or situation, including the relationships involved in those contexts. On an individual level, this has important implications for one's daily engagement with others and the world. On a socio-political level, this is essential to creating and implementing well-functioning social and political institutions and policies. Practical contextualism means, among other things, that one must be prepared for possible changes that might occur in these contexts, and calls for the fostering of optimal and timely responses and solutions. In this light, the cultivation of the self is an arduous process whereby one develops epistemic cognition and skills in order to be able to detect and deal with exigent situations. This thesis studies four pre-Qin Chinese texts: the Yi Jing (易經), the Han Fei Zi (韓非子), the Zhuang Zi (莊子), and the Analects (論語). Each of these arguably exemplifies the particular tradition or practical field it represents, and has received extensive and long-term scholarly attention. The current study unveils practical contextualism as a common theme that exists in the four texts, but with different philosophical emphases. The Yi Jing is one of the earliest texts abundant with contextual and practical ideas that are not necessarily limited to any particular philosophical discipline. In the Han Fei Zi, practical contextualism constitutes an overt theme in political discourse. The Zhuang Zi is ideal for examining practical contextualism in Chinese epistemology. The Analects explores how practical contextualism is played out in human societies. The current study proposes a theoretical framework to describe 'practical contextualism', which does not appear specifically in ancient Chinese texts, and has yet to be studied systematically. The framework identifies six distinctive dimensions of ...

This thesis is about three concepts in Warring States Chinese philosophy—fǎ 法, xìng 性, and měi 美—that give rise to the three themes that make up the title of this thesis: moral standards, moral spontaneity, and moral beauty. In the first chapter, I defend my choice to focus exclusively on the Chinese concepts. Primarily, I argue that it is often a mistake to ascribe Western philosophical theories and concepts to early Chinese thinkers when we are in the business of interpreting ancient Chinese texts. To do so is to both ascribe too many Western habits of thought to ancient Chinese philosophers, and to give a false sense of similarity between Chinese and Western concepts. To this end, I offer three studies that showcase the importance of understanding the nature and role of Chinese concepts in Chinese philosophical thought. In the second chapter, I discuss the concept of fǎ as the central concept of Mohist moral reasoning. By that I mean that the vast majority of Mohist normative reasoning is ultimately constituted by either direct or indirect appeals to fǎ. This overall interpretation has consequences for a number of contemporary discussions in Mohist scholarship, and I mention some of these consequences at the end of the chapter. In the third chapter, I discuss the concept of xìng and the role it plays in Xunzi's moral philosophy. After offering a charitable interpretation of Xunzi's moral philosophy, I subject it to the criticism of the primitivists, a rival philosophical group. Overall I attempt to show that although the primitivists point to real weaknesses in the conceptual foundation of Xunzi's program of moral education, his proposal is ultimately more practical than theirs given basic social and political realities. In the fourth chapter, I discuss the concept of měi in Xunzi's philosophy. I argue in the first place that as a moral virtue, we might understand měi as a restricted and particular notion of "moral beauty" in so far as it denotes both an aesthetic evaluation and a moral evaluation. I argue in the second place that měi when predicated of institutions, however, retains little of this connection with either aesthetics or morality, and is instead more an assessment of the "orderliness" of social customs. In the fifth chapter, I suggest some of the work that might be done with these concepts as I understand them. The concept of fǎ, for example, might serve as an alternative to thinking of morality exclusively in terms of either laws or virtues. The concept of xìng as a kind of natural spontaneity I think serves as an alternative to conceptions of human nature as what is innate. Finally, the concept of měi when generously reconstructed I think illustrates a virtue worthy of further philosophical examination and use. ; published_or_final_version ; Philosophy ; Master ; Master of Philosophy

Ancient Chinese history holds a quality which has syncretized traditional thought with its cultural wealth unified of mystical and mythological figures in the background. Such that classical documents, which had begun to be written before Common Era, has directly influenced the political regime, education system and status of society in China. One of the most prominent features of these works is to propound collective knowledge about perception of cosmology, attitudes to earthiness, community standards, policy and morality. Among Five Classics works of these masterpieces of Chinese philosophy, Book of Changes which stands closest to metaphysical narrative, mainly consists of the texts about prophecy. While this piece of work had been referred as a divination guide in Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC), it turned into a cosmological text that included a range of philosophical commentary during Warring States Period (475-221 BC). The mainstay of this remarkable change is the direct correlation of all the concepts and terms that characterize the worldly beyond along with the relevant text, especially yin-yang dualism, which symbolizes an extraordinary harmony in early Chinese thought. Traditional idea suggests reciprocity in which heaven, earth and man are interconnected to maintain natural order. However, the superiority attributed to human beings also brings compulsive responsibilities to idealize a compatible society. This paper aims to discuss influences of cosmological and anthropological items on human behaviors explained in prescriptive perspective.

Legalism, as one of the most useful philosophies of government, has attracted a great deal of scholarly attention. The work of Han Fei—one of the most influential proponents of Legalism—has been scrutinized and critiqued for centuries as immoral. I intend to show Legalism, especially the Han Feizi, is moral through focusing on four aspects of Han Fei's work. First, his understanding of human nature. Han Fei states people are born with a hatred of harm and a love of profit. This understanding of human nature can never lead to a cognitive distortions in governing. So it is a moral basic of a philosophy. The second element is a focus on the context of Han Fei's writings. If his works are read in detail back to his age, one cannot reach an immorality conclusion. Then, based on his understanding of subjects and his correspondingly suggested strategies, his goal is moral because he wants to built a peaceful and stable society, which was unobtainable at that time. Finally, Han Fei's conception of punishment, which has been thought of immoral, actually is a moral tool to protect the majority of subjects who are innocent.

This paper explores the history and character of Chinese Philosophy Course in Keijō Imperial University, focusing on Fujitsuka Chikashi (1879-1948), a professor at Keijō Imperial University. Keijō Imperial University was Korea's first modern University, and long the only government university in Korea during the colonial period. The students of university conducted research under a variety of top-class scholars, which led to modern scholarship of Korea. Fujitsuka Chikashi was born in 1879 in Miyagi Prefecture. He studied Chinese Philosophy in Tokyo Imperial University and graduated in 1902. He stayed in Korea between 1926 and 1940 and was a professor of Chinese Philosophy and studied Kim Jeong-hee (1786-1856) who was a great scholar of bibliographical Study in Qing Dynasty. He was the only professor of Chinese Philosophy in Keijō Imperial University, but also he left lots of great works in the field of Chinese Philosophy. He is a key-person in order to understand the education of Chinese Philosophy in modern age of Korea.

The present thesis explores the history of interpretations of Rousseau's political philosophy in the last one hundred years in China. Ever since the introduction of Of the Social Contract into China at the beginning of the twentieth century, Rousseau became one of the few western thinkers who greatly influenced how the Chinese perceive modern society and politics. Rousseau's political ideas first generated a growing number of interpretations from 1898 to 1920. In these interpretations, his work was portrayed as the epitome of modern democracy, and his teachings were considered the cure for social problems in China at the time. However, in the recent three decades in China, scholars interpreted his political writings differently. Some even accused him of being the advocate of totalitarianism, and his political theories the theoretical support of dictatorship of the French Revolution. Such different interpretations in different periods of the Chinese reception of his political philosophy raised the question: what caused the distinctive alteration of Rousseau's image in the last century in China? This thesis intends to provide a possible answer by examining the movement and evolution of interpretations of his political philosophy over the past century. In this examination, I first introduce the methodology and the theoretical foundation of this dissertation: Gadamer's hermeneutic method in interpreting a text, and Rousseau's political philosophy as a whole. In part two and part three, the history of the Chinese interpretations will then be divided into two phases in accordance with the alteration of Rousseau's image over time. I present and briefly analyze different interpretations of his political theories to provide a thorough overview, as well as different characteristics of the interpretations from both phases. I then employ Gadamer's hermeneutic method to analyze three interpretations that were most influential in these phases to argue that even though some interpretations contained inaccurate accounts of Rousseau's texts, all fulfilled the hermeneutic task of understanding these texts in different phases. The cause of the alteration of Rousseau's image in the last century is the alteration of interpreters' hermeneutic horizons in different times. As the process of understanding his political writings evolved through the last century in China, these texts constantly generates new fusions of the horizon of the author with the horizons of the interpreters. ; published_or_final_version ; Philosophy ; Doctoral ; Doctor of Philosophy

This thesis clarifies how the concept of tian functions in Chinese thought, and what tianren heyi (the continuity between tian and humans) means in the Chinese context. With a new interpretation about tianren heyi, I provide a new contribution for understanding these Chinese concepts for an English speaking audience. Tian is not a fixed concept like the idea of heaven, rather, it can be the principle for one's immanent world. The meaning of the term changes depending on the context it is being used in, and can also be neutral when necessary. Continuity means that there is a resonance and reciprocity in the way these aspects of cosmology emerge together. Humans and tian are not being unified or connected—there is simply continuity between them. What happens is that a productive relationship between them produces depth, harmony, and enhanced significance. Through the interaction between humanity and tian, the human world gains order, and from the perspective of tian, gains harmony. This different understanding the continuity between humanity and tian leads to a new understanding of timing or the appropriateness in li. In the process of practice and self cultivation, it is seen that li is also an idea that is not fixed to one single interpretation as it is connected with timing and appropriateness. The Classical Chinese concept of "Person" (ren 人), as the concrete context of li, is the centre of this practice. Because of the unfixed natures of tian and li, one needs to be flexible in order to cater to their demands. This embodies the freedom of the subject in Chinese thought. As the outcome of li, the social and political structure is shaped in this process, the examples being the models of "great union" and "small tranquillity" (Chapter 3) in Chinese tradition.

The concept of 'datong' in Chinese philosophy was developed more than two millennia ago in the Confucian classics. It has been translated as 'Great Unity', 'Great Community', 'Great Universality', 'Great Similarity', 'Grand Harmony', etc. In the 'Liyun' section of Liji the Book of Rites, the concept of 'datong' was first introduced. In the early twentieth century, the great Chinese thinker and reformer Kang Youwei wrote a book entitled Datong shu (Book on the Great Community) in which he put forward an original and radical interpretation of 'datong'. This paper will analyze the concept of 'datong' in Liyun and in Kang's Datong shu, and suggest that the concept is an expression of the idea of the common good in traditional Chinese social and political philosophy. It will examine and reflect on Kang's Datong shu and the elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, liberalism, utilitarianism, utopianism and socialism/communism that can be found in the book. It will also show that the ideology currently propounded by the Chinese Communist Party, including the ideas of the 'preliminary stage of socialism' and the 'xiaokang society', may be better understood in the light of the concept of 'datong' in Chinese philosophy. ; postprint

Consistent with its growing economic, political and military might, China wants due recognition by and engagement with the global community of nations. This aspiration is complicated by the fact that Chinese political leaders and intellectuals continue to struggle with how "Chinese values" fit with "universal values", and whether there is a single global modernity or whether there are multiple modernities and multiple—perhaps competing—universal values. In this paper I examine how some prominent Chinese philosophers are engaging with these issues, despite the fact that in 2013 the topic of "universal values" was prohibited as a discussion topic in universities on the mainland. ; Kitajska si v skladu s svojo naraščajočo gospodarsko, politično in vojaško močjo želi ustreznega priznanja in sodelovanja z globalno skupnostjo narodov. Zaplete pri tem prizadevanju povzroča dejstvo, da se kitajski politični voditelji in intelektualci še vedno spopadajo z vprašanjem, kako se »kitajske vrednote« ujemajo z »univerzalnimi vrednotami« in ali obstaja enotna svetovna modernost, ali pa je nemara več modernosti in več – morda v medsebojnem tekmovanju – univerzalnih vrednot. V tem članku proučujem, kako se nekateri vidni kitajski filozofi soočajo s temi vprašanji, čeprav je bila leta 2013 na univerzah na celini tema »univerzalnih vrednot« kot razpravna tema prepovedana.

The article focuses on Old Chinese philosophy conceptions within music art. Basic aesthetic Daoism and Confucianism principles concerning creativity and place of music in the life and in the Universe are explained. The objective of the paper is to analyze fundamental belief constants of Chinese traditional philosophical thinking about music art, to find general principles and differences in understanding its functions in nature and society.Methodology of the investigation is complex, in particular, the following methods are used: analysis and synthesis, which help to consider different aesthetic conceptions and to unite received results into a single whole; comparison, aimed to find distinctions in Chinese philosophic principles concerning music; generalization – as a result, explained and logical conclusion is made. Scientific novelty of the article consists in finding out the essence of Chinese aesthetic conceptions concerning music art, in elucidating distinctions between fundamental philosophic doctrines of Confucianism and Daoism in music aspect. In the paper acting (educational, upbringing) function of art in Confucianism is emphasized as well as its importance in social and political life. Special attention is paid to Confucian conception of neutralism in art, which is important basis in studying Chinese music. Aesthetic principles of Confucianism are elucidated and are located in chapter "Notes about music" of the book "Li chi". It is clarified that Daoist aesthetics represents quite different attitude to music. Within this doctrine music art is understood as inactive, created by nature itself. Music sound is taken as something all-embracing that penetrates everywhere and is embodied into "Tian Lai" (Heavenly sounding), where also "sounds of the earth" and "human voices" belong to. Such sound is created by itself without any activity and its aesthetic characteristics are also natural and selfsufficient. It is a music of free self-expression, direct embodiment of human emotions. In conclusion it is ...

Translation of Eine staatslehre auf ethischer grundlage; oder Lehrbegriff des chinesischen philosophen Mencius. ; Mode of access: Internet.

Resumen: Como filósofo de la ética contemporánea occidental, Alasdair MacIntyre ha jugado un papel importante en el resurgimiento de la ética de la virtud. No es de extrañar, entonces, que su pensamiento haya atraído la atención de numerosos académicos chinos: así, desde la década de los ochenta, algunos de sus libros han sido traducidos a este idioma, y desde los noventa su filosofía se ha transformado en un tema de discusión relevante en China. En el presente trabajo, procederemos a realizar una síntesis de los estudios académicos elaborados en ese país sobre la filosofía de MacIntyre; lo haremos desde nueve perspectivas diferentes: las traducciones de sus obras, los primeros estudios sobre su filosofía, la ética de la virtud, su crítica a la filosofía moral occidental, su filosofía política, su método de investigación moral, su metafísica de la moralidad, la concepción de racionalidad que él sustenta y el problema del relativismo. ; Abstract: As a philosopher of contemporary Western Ethics, Alasdair MacIntyre has played an important role in the revival of virtue ethics. It is no wonder, then, that his thinking has attracted the attention of many Chinese scholars: so, since the early 80's, some of his books have been translated into this language, and from the 90's his philosophy has changed a topic of discussion relevant in China. In this paper, we will make a synthesis of academic studies produced in that country on the philosophy of MacIntyre; we will from nine different perspectives: translations of his works, the first studies of philosophy, ethics of virtue, his critique of Western moral philosophy, his political philosophy, its method of moral inquiry, his metaphysics of morality, the conception of rationality that sustains him and the problem of relativism.

The first part of this paper analyzes what is meant by "self-awareness of life", a term that is used by some prominent Chinese philosophers as a characterization of the specific nature of Chinese philosophy. From a Chinese perspective, self-awareness of life is a concretization of philosophy's self-definition as the love of wisdom, since it emphasizes the inner spiritual life of the self, in close connection with questions about (outer) social and political life. This results in a non-theoretical and even non-conceptual awareness of the self as part of the totality of life. In the second part, I explore if and how self-awareness of life is a topic of Western philosophy. I thereby make use of the insights of French historian of philosophy Pierre Hadot, who interprets ancient Western philosophy as a way of life and a spiritual exercise aimed at wisdom. I also analyze the work of Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor, who holds that the human person should be conceived as a self-awareness of life, i.e. as a close connection between its inner, spiritual and outer, physical nature. On the basis of these insights, it is clear that the criticism against mainstream Western philosophy in its answer to the question of the meaning of life can be the starting point of the development of an alternative, less purely conceptual kind of philosophy, as well as of a less dualistic and solipsistic view of the self.

Volltext // Exemplar mit der Signatur: München, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek -- H.as. 2033

The ethnic minority (EM) students with rapid increase in number prefer studying in either local mainstream or designated schools, and they have to study Chinese language in compliance with the 'biliterate and trilingual' policy ever since the establishment of HKSAR Government in 1997. Recent researches indicate that majority EM students find the learning of Chinese very difficult. This research is to study how six South Asian ethnic students can be comparably more successful in tackling the L2 Chinese learning in a designated high school. Ethnographic approach is adopted in the case study conducting a series of interviews with and unobtrusive observation on these students over time to understand their learning experiences, including their self-perception, L2 attitudes and motivation. An initial research model is set up to analyze how external factors of home, school and community interrelate with internal factors of identity formation and self-efficacy contributing to the motivation of L2 Chinese learning. The findings indicate that the challenges of those EM learners in L2 Chinese learning are not only about mastering the language per se, but closely related to the formation of their L2 identities. The different learning paths at the early stage are shaped by the encouragement and support of their parents and teachers, as well as acceptance of their learning peers contributing to their L2 Chinese acquisition in varying degrees. In turn, the internalization of L2 motivation helps the EM learners persist and enhance their L2 motivation as well as plurilingual competence in the face of learning difficulties. ; published_or_final_version ; Education ; Doctoral ; Doctor of Philosophy