Jin Yuelin Volume -- A Classic of Modern Chinese Scholarship

Author: Liu Mengxi, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1996-08-01
Features: The philosophical genius Jin Yuliin, with his rare logical mind and ability to construct knowledge systems, took the path of philosophical research based on logical analysis as a fundamental tool, establishing an analytical philosophy system with epistemology as its skeleton. Traditional Chinese scholarship lacks logic, and traditional Chinese philosophy lacks epistemology, making Jin Yuliin's philosophy particularly noteworthy. The "On Tao" included in this volume, with its rich original ideas, is rare in modern Chinese philosophy and was called by He Lin "a uniquely original metaphysical work." Another major long-form work, "Epistemology," systematically discusses philosophical epistemology and marks the establishment of his philosophical system. "On Tao." Jin Yuliin began the writing of "On Tao" when he started teaching at the Temporary University in Changsha in 1937 and completed the manuscript in 1939. The manuscript was awarded second prize by the Academic Review Committee of the Ministry of Education in Chongqing as a Chinese academic work. According to Feng Youlan's recollection, the book was originally listed alongside Feng Youlan's "New On Tao" for the same award, but since only one name could be awarded, Jin Yuliin's "On Tao" was nominally ranked second. In September 1940, "On Tao" was published by the Commercial Press. In his book "Contemporary Chinese Philosophy," written in 1945, He Lin called "On Tao" "a uniquely original metaphysical work." In 1985, the Commercial Press reprinted the book with a new layout. The version used here is the 1985 edition of the Commercial Press. "Epistemology." Jin Yuliin had been conceptualizing his epistemological ideas since early on. Before the War of Resistance, he published articles such as "A Critique of Hume's Epistemology (Limited to the Epistemology in the Treatise)" (1928), "Internal and External Relations" (1930), and "On the Theory of Operations." The basic ideas of these articles were later included in "Epistemology." Jin Yuliin formally began writing "Epistemology" in 1938 while teaching at Southwest Associated University. In 1940, the manuscript was completed, but it was lost during an air raid. He then began rewriting it from memory starting in 1941. Although it was called a rewrite, it was essentially a complete re-conceptualization. Some chapters of the book, such as "The Principle of Induction and the Future," "Nature," and "Thought," were published in "Philosophical Review" one after another. Jin Yuliin (1895–1984) was a philosopher and logician. His courtesy name was Longsun, and he was born in Hunan but a native of Zhejiang. In 1911, he entered Tsinghua College, and in 1914, he was admitted as a government-funded overseas student. He obtained his Ph.D. from Columbia University in the United States in 1920. In 1921, he went to the United Kingdom for studies and returned to China in 1925. He successively served as a professor in the Department of Philosophy at Tsinghua University, Southwest Associated University, and Peking University. After 1955, he served as a first-class researcher, deputy director, and academician of the Philosophy Department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He engaged in teaching, research, and organizational leadership in philosophy and logic, becoming one of the earliest logicians to systematically introduce modern logic to China. By combining Western philosophy with Chinese philosophy, he established a unique philosophical system. He trained a large number of highly skilled specialists in philosophy and logic. The Jin Yuliin Academic Foundation has now been established. His main works include "On Tao" and "Epistemology."