Dawn of Humanity: Exploring the Origins of Greek Humanism

Author: Du Liyan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-07-01
Features: In the early 20th century, especially during the May Fourth Movement, with the introduction of Western learning to China, humanism research entered China. The 1903 edition of New Er Ya (compiled by Wang Rongbao and Ye Lan) published by Shanghai Mingquan Society included an entry on "humanism." During the May Fourth Movement, humanism research reached its peak. Although affected by years of war, the research at the time had already reached a high level. From 1949 to 1978, due to the limitations of the era and environment, humanism research almost ceased to appear. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, with the reflection on the Cultural Revolution, the philosophy circles in China once held extensive discussions on humanism, which later ceased due to the campaign against bourgeois liberalization. In 1995, discussions and publications on humanism resumed. With the development of reform and opening-up, China opened its doors to the world, making it urgent to understand the world and Western civilization. The essence of Western civilization is humanism, so to understand Western civilization, we must conduct root-seeking research on humanism, delve into its core, explore it, and absorb its valuable aspects. The writing intention of the History of Humanism Thought series is to trace its origins, reveal the profound connotations of humanism, and present its emergence and development to Chinese readers, establishing its central position in the history of Western civilization. The History of Humanism Thought series consists of six volumes: The Dawn of Humanity: Exploring Greek Humanism, The Gospel of Love: Medieval Christian Humanism, Humanism of the Renaissance, Modern Enlightenment Humanism, Orthodoxy and Russian Humanism, and Humanism and Anti-Humanism in the 20th Century. Each volume is approximately 500,000 words. The authors are middle-aged scholars in China's philosophy circles who have achieved notable success, with solid philosophical foundations and years of in-depth research on humanism. Their works have achieved a high theoretical level, reaching unprecedented depth and breadth. The content of this series is extremely rich and substantial, standing out in humanism research as a highly authoritative work. This book is the volume of the History of Humanism Thought series, primarily exploring the origins of humanism and its development in ancient Greece. Starting from the two prehistoric sages, it traces the intellectual trajectory from Homer to Aristotle, outlining the process by which humanism evolved from the heroic ethics of Homer, which admired virtuous actions, to city-state humanism. It provides a detailed introduction to the changes in paideia and arete, as well as the entire developmental process by which humanism thought ultimately reached its peak with figures such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. As the first volume of the series, the introduction provides a general overview of humanism thought. The author, Du Liyan, is a researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, who has long been engaged in the study of Western philosophy and has published numerous works. She spent six years writing this book, during which she read and consulted a vast amount of domestic and international materials, while also seeking advice from experts in related fields. As a result, the book is highly comprehensive, well-structured, and theoretically profound.