Wang Xuetong Lun

Author: Yang Guorong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: The book General Theory of Wang Studies—From Wang Yangming to Xiong Shili is the doctoral dissertation of Yang Guorong. During the dissertation defense, several senior experts gave positive evaluations and offered much encouragement. Some parts of the content were published in relevant journals and attracted attention from the academic community. This work has several notable characteristics:
1. It begins by examining the duality of Wang Studies, conducting an in-depth analysis of its internal structure and the historical development process in later schools, thereby revealing the highly important theoretical characteristic of Wang Studies—its integration of universal principles with individual consciousness, as well as the unity of its affirmation of the (innate knowledge) and its method (cultivating innate knowledge).
2. By exposing the internal contradictions of the Wang Studies system, it further explains the divergence of the Wang school in later generations, with a focus on the evolution of the distinction between (intention) and (knowledge). It shows how Li Zhi led Wang Studies astray, how Huang Zongxi completed its self-negation, and discusses the dual role of Wang Studies in the modernization of Chinese philosophy under the title "Echoes of History." The systematic and orderly examination well implements the unity of logical and historical methods, making many of the arguments highly persuasive.
3. The author has made a relatively thorough grasp of primary sources, referencing the works of predecessors and contemporary scholars, including a large number of research achievements by overseas scholars, and has added his own interpretations, syntheses, and insights. As a result, the book not only offers a broad theoretical perspective but also conducts in-depth micro-examinations at many points, making it a theoretical work that is both broad and profound.