Introduction to classical Chinese philosophy

Abstract

This book is an introduction, both philosophical and elementar y, to ancient Chinese thought. Because my approach is philosophical, I devote a consider-able amount of space to explaining the basic v ocabulary of contemporary philosophy. My hope is that r eaders will be inspir ed to pursue Chinese thought in more depth but will also be able to cross over easily to the study of Western philosophy, should they wish to do so. There are, of course, alterna-tive ways of studying Chinese thought and cultur e that are equally valuable, but I hope no scholars will begrudge me this methodology simply because it is not their own. Because this is an elementar y introduction, I have greatly simplified many aspects of both Chinese and Western history and culture. Understanding any tradition is daunting. As one Confucian put it, “Th e more I look up at it the higher it seems, the mor e I delv e into it, the har der it becomes. Catching a glimpse of it befor e me, I then find it suddenly at my back ” (Analects9.11). Consequently, introducing too many nuances and scholarly controversies might overwhelm the beginner. By simplifying some points that are not central to my narrative, I hope to enable the r eader to understand and grapple with other complex and profound issues. Cognoscenti should bear this in mind when they notice that I hav e typically not done justice to the multifaceted natur e of the Western philosophers whom I cite as subjects of comparison nor to the com-plexities and controversies regarding Chinese history and philology.