Song Dynasty Neo-Confucianism and Taoism. Taoism-(Vol. 1 & 2)

Author: Kong Linghong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The development of Chinese philosophy can be traced back to ancient times, passing through the Shang and Zhou dynasties, to the pre-Qin period when Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, Legalism, and Names schools flourished. Each clearly recognized its existence among diverse others, mutually influencing one another while competing as peaks, each leading its own era—arguably the golden age of Chinese philosophy. Among these, Confucianism and Taoism had the deepest impact on Chinese culture. Later, the Yellow Elder Taoism flourished during the Han dynasty and was even exclusively revered by Emperor Wu of Han. However, if it failed to continue its external expansion and transcendence, deepening its intellectual foundation, and instead became self-enclosed, even Confucianism and Taoism would inevitably decline. The second stage began in the Eastern Han dynasty and reached its peak in the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. During this time, although new Taoism found opportunities for self-transcendence in metaphysics, reviving its prominence, Taoist philosophy ultimately only survived through its integration with the development of Taoism. The third stage is the Song-Ming Confucianism period, primarily based on Confucian thought, further integrating the Buddhist, Taoist, and Taoist ideas that had previously challenged it. The fourth stage is the modern Chinese philosophy period, which began in 1583 when the Italian Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci introduced Western science, philosophy, and Christianity, posing new challenges to Chinese philosophy.