Essays on the History of Chinese Academic Thought (Volume 7)

Author: Qian Mu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: This volume contains seventeen essays, primarily discussing the Confucian philosophy of the Ming Dynasty, with a particular focus on the Yangming school. It provides detailed elaboration on the similarities and differences in the daily exchanges and discussions between Wang Longxi and Luo Nian'an, revealing the divergent paths of the Zhejiang and Jiangxi branches of the Yangming school. The essay on the three Yuan brothers of the Gong'an school, starting from the basic principles of their academic thought, allows one to infer the strengths and weaknesses, as well as the high and low points of their literary achievements. The case of Xishan, which includes materials often discarded by Li Yu, offers a deep insight into the biases and shortcomings in Li Yu's academic case studies. At the end of the volume, an essay titled "A Study on the Spread of Zhu Xi's Philosophy to Korea" is appended, providing a detailed discussion of the four figures—Li Tuyu, Li Lige, Song You'an, and Han Nantang. All four before Song You'an lived during the Ming Dynasty, while Han Nantang lived into the early Qing Dynasty, demonstrating the far-reaching influence of Song-Ming Confucian philosophy on Korea and even Japan.