THE DEVELOPING COURSE OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY

Book excerpt: The Developing Course of Chinese Philosophy deals with the thoughts of Chinese philosophers and the historical process of philosophical development from pre-Qin to Ming and Qing dynasties from a new perspective, elaborating the emergence, development, rise, and fall of ancient Chinese philosophy. The book systematically describes the evolution path of Chinese wisdom, revealing the main trends and some basic laws of the theoretical thinking of the Chinese nation. The main contents of this book can be categorized into three aspects. First, the developing course and framework of Chinese philosophy in different periods; second, representatives of Chinese philosophy in different periods and the Zeitgeist, the main viewpoints and methodologies they represent; third, the interrelation and influence of the standpoints of Chinese philosophy in different periods. The Developing Course of Chinese Philosophy can be roughly divided into the philosophy of pre-Qin scholars with the theme of political theory, the cosmology-centered philosophy in Qin and Han dynasties, the metaphysics in Wei and Jin dynasties characterized by ontology, the philosophy of Wei Jin and the Northern and Southern dynasties in the dispute of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, the philosophy of Sui and Tang dynasties in Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, and the philosophy of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties with the rise and decline of Neo-Confucianism and the end of ancient Chinese philosophy as the main content. Through detailed elaboration in different chapters, the book highlights the philosophical thoughts, methodologies, and viewpoints of different periods in Chinese history, thus presenting a complete logical system of the historical development and the essence of Chinese philosophy.