Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy by Van Norden, Bryan W. -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Preface Map of China Selected Translations Selected Secondary Works 1. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT

I. Myth II. Early History III. The Period of the Philosophers IV. Timeline

2. KONGZI AND CONFUCIANISM

I. Kongzi’s Social Context and Life II. Five Themes of Confucianism

1. Happiness in the Everyday World 2. Revivalistic Traditionalism 3. The Family and Differentiated Caring 4. Ritual and Functionalism 5. Ethical Cultivation

3. KONGZI AND VIRTUE ETHICS

I. Three Normative Theories II. Confucianism as Virtue Ethics

1. Living Well 2. The Virtues 3. Ethical Cultivation and Human Nature

III. Limitations of Confucianism IV. Kongzi’s Particularism

4. MOHIST CONSEQUENTIALISM

I. The Fixed Standard of Consequentialism II. Criticisms of Confucianism III. Political hilPosophy IV. Divine Command Theory V. “Against Fatalism” and Dialectic VI. “On Ghosts” and Truth VII. Historical Significance

5. YANG ZHU AND EGOISM

I. What Is Egoism?

1. Psychological Egosim 2. Ethical Egosim

II. What Is the Nature of a Thing? III. Early Debates over Yang Zhu’s Way IV. The Contemporary Debate

6. MENGZI AND HUMAN NATURE

I. The Mohists, Profit, and Impartiality II. Yang Zhu and Human Nature III. The Virtues IV. Ethical Cultivation V. Cosmology VI. Historicalign Sificance

7. LANGUAGE AND PARADOX IN THE “SCHOOL OF NAMES”

I. Deng Xi and the Origins of the “School” II. Hui Shi III. Gongsun Long IV. The Later Mohists

1. Resolving the Paradox of Deng Xi 2. Resolving the Paradoxes of Hui Shi 3. Resolving the White Horse Paradox 4. The New Foundation of Mohist Ethics 5. The Limits of Logic

V. Historical Significance

8. THE DAODEJING AND MYSTICISM

I. Myth and Reality II. Five Themes

1. Social Ills and Their Solution 2. Nonaction 3. The Teaching that Is without Words 4. The Way 5. Mysticism

III. Historical Significance

9. ZHUANGZI’S THERAPEUTIC SKEPTICISM AND RELATIVISM

I. Zhuangzi’s Context II. Skepticism III. Relativism IV. Detachment in Society, Not from Society V. Nonaction VI. Doctrine or Therapy? VII. Conventional or Radical? VIII. Historical Significance

10. XUNZI’S CONFUCIAN NATURALISM

I. Xunzi’s Context II. Naturalism and Ritual III. History and Objectivity IV. Human Nature and Psychology V. Ethical Cultivation VI. Historical Significance

11. HAN FEIZI

I. Life and Context II. Critique of Confucianism III. The Five Elements of Han Feizi’s Theory of Government

1. The Power of Position 2. Administrative Methods 3. Laws 4. The Two Handles of Government 5. The Way of the Ruler

IV. The Question of Amoralism V. Historical Significance

12. LATER CHINESE THOUGHT

I. Qin Dynasty II. Han through Six Dynasties III. Sui through the Ming IV. Qing through Mao Zedong V. China Today and Tomorrow

APPENDIX A: Hermeneutics, or How to Read a Text

I. Faith and Suspicion II. “Our” Worldview and “Theirs”

APPENDIX B: The Chinese Language and Writing System

I. The Five Types of Chinese Characters II. Spoken Chinese III. Radicals and Dictionaries IV. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis V. For Further Reading

APPENDIX C: Kongzi as Systematic Philosopher

I. The “One Thread” of Analects 4.15 II. The “Rectification of Names” of Analects 13.3 III. The “Broadening of the Way” of Analects 15.29 IV. Conclusion

Sources for Facts and Myths Illustration Credits Endnotes Index Back Cover