According to Mencius and his school of Confucianism, the universe is essentially a moral universe. The moral principles of man are also metaphysical principles of the universe, and the nature of man is an exemplification of these principles. It is this mo...[继续阅读]

    Logically speaking, the contrast between ming and shih in ancient Chinese philosophy is something like that between subject and predicate in the West. For instance, when we say: “This is a table,” or “Socrates is a man,” “this” and “Socrates” are shih or ...[继续阅读]

    Hui Shih (fl. 350-260 B. C.) was a native of the state of Sung, in the present province of Honan. We know that he once became premier of King Hui of Wei, and that he was known for his great learning. His writings, unfortunately, are lost, and what we know...[继续阅读]

    The other main leader of the School of Names was Kung-sun Lung (fl. 284-259 B. C.), who was widely known in his day for his sophistic arguments. It is said that once when he was passing a frontier, the frontier guards said: “Horses are not allowed to pass...[继续阅读]

    Thus by analyzing names, and their relation with, or their distinction from, actualities, the philosophers of the School of Names discovered what in Chinese philosophy is called “that which lies beyond shapes and features.” In Chinese philosophy a distinc...[继续阅读]

    Two questions arise in this connection. One is about the date of the man, Lao Tzu (whose family name is said to have been Li, and personal name, Tan), and another about the date of the book itself. There is no necessary connection between the two, for it ...[继续阅读]

    In the last chapter, we have seen that the philosophers of the School of Names, through the study of names, succeeded in discovering “that which lies beyond shapes and features.” Most people, however, think only in terms of “what lies within shapes and fe...[继续阅读]

    In the final chapter of the Chuang-tzu, “The World,” it is said that the leading ideas of Lao Tzu are those of the Tai Yi or “Super One,” and of Being, Non-being, and the invariable. The “Super One” is the Tao. From the Tao comes one, and therefore Tao it...[继续阅读]

    Lao Tzu warns us: “Not to know the invariable and to act blindly is to go to disaster.”[1] One should know the laws of nature and conduct ones activities in accordance with them. This, by Lao Tzu, is called “practicing enlightenment.” The general rule for...[继续阅读]

    From these theories Lao Tzu deduces his political theory. The Taoists agree with the Confucianists that the ideal state is one which has a sage as its head. It is only the sage who can and should rule. The difference between the two schools, however, is t...[继续阅读]