Outline of Chinese Philosophy

Author: Zhang Dainian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: In summary, Chinese philosophy is based on and returns to life practice. Action is the beginning and also the end of knowledge. The purpose of research is action, and the method of research is also action. In the past, what was called learning in China did not solely refer to the study of knowledge but also encompassed the cultivation of body and mind. Learning is comprehensive of both knowledge and action. This book is an early work by Mr. Zhang Dainian, a distinctive work on Chinese philosophy. The book is organized around key questions, separately narrating their origins and developments, showcasing the entire systematic structure of Chinese philosophy, and elucidating its developmental process. The book divides the main philosophical issues discussed by Chinese philosophers into three categories: cosmology, philosophy of life, and epistemology. Under each category, it presents the doctrines of various schools from the pre-Qin period to the mid-Qing period in chronological order, analyzing their inheritance and transformations. Thus, it can also be regarded as a history of Chinese philosophical problems.