Jin Yuelin (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Liu Mengxi, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1996-10-01
Features: The philosophical genius Jin Yueling, with his rare logical mind and ability to construct knowledge systems, took the path of philosophical research based on logical analysis as a fundamental tool, establishing an analytical philosophy system with epistemology as its skeleton. Traditional Chinese scholarship lacks logic, and traditional Chinese philosophy lacks epistemology, making Jin Yueling's philosophy particularly noteworthy. The "On Tao" included in this volume, with its rich original thoughts, is unparalleled in modern Chinese philosophy and was called by He Lin "a uniquely original metaphysical work." Another major long work, "Epistemology," systematically discusses philosophical epistemology and marks the establishment of his philosophical system. "On Tao." Jin Yueling began conceptualizing the writing of "On Tao" when he started teaching at the Temporary University in Changsha in 1937 and completed the manuscript in 1939. The manuscript was awarded second prize by the Academic Evaluation Committee of the Ministry of Education in Chongqing. According to Feng Youlan's recollection, the book was originally listed alongside Feng Youlan's "A New Way of Thinking" for the same award, but since only one prize was available, Jin Yueling's "On Tao" was officially ranked second. In September 1940, "On Tao" was published by the Commercial Press. In his book "Contemporary Chinese Philosophy," written in 1945, He Lin called "On Tao" "a uniquely original metaphysical work." In 1985, the Commercial Press reprinted the book with a new layout. This edition is based on the 1985 version of the Commercial Press. "Epistemology." Jin Yueling had been conceptualizing his epistemological thoughts long before the war. Before the war, he published articles such as "A Critique of Hume's Epistemology (Limited to the Epistemology in the Treatise)" (1928), "Internal and External Relations" (1930), and "On the Theory of Operations." The basic ideas of these articles were later included in "Epistemology." Jin Yueling formally began writing "Epistemology" in 1938 while teaching at Southwest Associated University. In 1940, the manuscript was completed, but it was lost during an air raid. Therefore, he began rewriting it from memory in 1941. Although it was called a rewrite, it was essentially a re-conceptualization. Some chapters of the book, such as "The Principle of Induction and the Future," "Nature," and "Thought," were published successively in "Philosophical Review." Jin Yueling (1895–1984) was a philosopher and logician. His courtesy name was Longsun, and he was born in Hunan but a native of Zhejiang. In 1911, he entered Tsinghua College, and in 1914, he was admitted as a government-funded overseas student. He obtained his Ph.D. from Columbia University in the United States in 1920. In 1921, he went to study in the UK and returned to China in 1925. He served as a professor in the philosophy departments of Tsinghua University, Southwest Associated University, and Peking University. From 1955, he served as a first-class researcher, deputy director, and academician of the Institute of Philosophy at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as a member of the Academic Committee of the Philosophy and Social Sciences Department. He engaged in teaching, research, and organizational leadership in philosophy and logic, becoming one of the earliest logicians to systematically introduce modern logic to China. By combining Western philosophy with Chinese philosophy, he established a unique philosophical system. He cultivated a large number of highly skilled specialists in philosophy and logic. The Jin Yueling Academic Foundation has been established. His main works include "On Tao" and "Epistemology."