Zhe Dong School Origin

Author: He Bingsong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: The author of this book believes that after the Southern Song Dynasty, Chinese academic thought consists of three systems: the Xinxue (Heart School) of Lu Jiuyuan, which originated from Buddhist thought; the Daoxue (Dao School) of Zhu Xi, which originated from Taoist thought; and the Cheng Yi school, which inherited the orthodox Confucian thought. The Cheng school's teachings spread to the eastern part of Zhejiang and evolved into the "Zhejiang School." Starting from original sources, the author meticulously examines and refutes the long-standing theories that have been followed for nearly a thousand years. He points out that the teachings of the Cheng and Zhu schools are fundamentally different: the Cheng school's philosophy is materialistic and monistic, akin to a scientific philosophy, while Zhu's philosophy is idealistic and dualistic, resembling the metaphysical discussions of an ethical philosopher. This book is an important work for the study of the history of Chinese academic thought and intellectual history.