Volume of Tang Junyi

Author: Zhu Qian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-08-01
Features: Tang Junyi (1909-1978), a native of Yibin, Sichuan. A modern Chinese scholar, philosopher, and philosopher of philosophy, Tang Junyi was one of the representatives of the New Confucianism movement. Born into a scholarly family, Tang Junyi received a solid education in traditional Chinese classics from a young age. He studied at the Sino-Russian University and Peking University, graduating from the Department of Philosophy at Central University. During his youth, he was deeply influenced by the academic thoughts of Liang Qichao, Liang Shuming, and Xiong Shili. He taught at West China University, Central University, and Jinling University, and served as the Academic Dean of Jiangnan University.
In 1949, Tang Junyi moved to Hong Kong, where he co-founded Sheng Kung Academy with Qian Mu and Zhang Piji, serving as its Academic Dean and Head of the Department of Philosophy. In 1958, he signed the "Manifesto for the Advancement of Chinese Culture" with Xu Fuguan, Mou Zongsan, and Zhang Junli, which outlined the principles of New Confucianism.
When the Chinese University of Hong Kong was established in 1963, Tang Junyi was appointed as its first Dean of the College of Arts and Professor of Philosophy. In 1967, he became the Director of the Sheng Kung Academy Research Institute.
Tang Junyi was a highly learned scholar who integrated Eastern and Western thought. He dedicated himself to the study of philosophy from China, the West, and India, with particular emphasis on the humanistic spirit embodied in the three major cultural traditions. He argued for establishing his theories based on the concept of the "moral self," exploring and reflecting on the value and spirit of traditional Chinese culture through life experiences, cultural awareness, and moral reason. He believed that a philosophical system should expand from the "moral self" to encompass the life subject and the activities of the entire mind, thereby covering all knowledge, scholarship, and culture. He aimed to build a broader and more inclusive philosophical system centered on Confucian metaphysics.
Using Hegel's phenomenology as his theoretical foundation and incorporating the Buddhist concept of "consciousness-only without external objects," Tang Junyi proposed the theory of "the heart connecting three directions and nine realms." The "three directions" refer to the mind's initial orientation toward objective realities, then subjective realities, and finally transcendent realities beyond subjectivity and objectivity. The "nine realms" include the individual, class, and causal realms within objective realities; the spatiotemporal, meaningful, and moral realms within subjective realities; and the transcendent realms beyond subjectivity and objectivity, such as the realm beyond spatiotemporal limits, the realm of ultimate truth, and the realm of life and nature.
Tang Junyi believed that the fundamental spirit of Chinese culture was shaped around the Confucian spirit of Confucius and Mencius, which he described as "establishing human morality according to the Way of Heaven, allowing the virtue of Heaven to flow into human nature, ethics, and the humanistic spirit of benevolence" (from The Spiritual Value of Chinese Culture). He argued that Chinese culture, centered on benevolence, always possessed infinite inclusivity and tolerance. He disagreed with the view that Chinese culture had completely collapsed after nearly a century of conflict with Western culture, proposing instead that Chinese culture should take the lead while absorbing and integrating the spirit of Western culture.
Tang Junyi authored numerous works throughout his life, including: The Establishment of the Moral Self, Mind, Matter, and Life, The Reconstruction of the Humanistic Spirit, The Spiritual Value of Chinese Culture, The Development of the Humanistic Spirit in China, An Introduction to Philosophy, The Original Theory of Chinese Philosophy: Introduction, The Original Theory of Chinese Philosophy: On Nature, The Original Theory of Chinese Philosophy: On the Way, The Original Theory of Chinese Philosophy: On Education, and Life, Existence, and the Realm of the Mind.