Analysis of Wei Yuan's Thought -- A Series of Papers on Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Fushi

Author: Li Suping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: This book briefly introduces the life and works of Wei Yuan, outlines his pragmatic philosophy, which is manifested in: high-ranking officials recruiting to participate in salt administration, grain transport, and maritime transport, fully demonstrating their pragmatic talents. He was enthusiastic about compiling Illustrated Maps of the Western World, striving to objectively introduce the Western world and analyze the global situation. Wei Yuan interpreted Laozi's Tao Te Ching as a savior's book, rather than retreating from or escaping from real-life, with the main idea being "The Tao Te Ching is a savior's book, desiring to restore the governance of the ancient times." The author takes The True Meaning of the Tao Te Ching as the interpretive perspective, attempting to use hermeneutic methods to analyze several key issues in it: "The Way," "Non-Action," "Nameless," and "Natural," emphasizing the author's interpretation of Laozi's original intentions. Overall, Wei Yuan interpreted the Tao Te Ching from a Confucian perspective, with his purpose and motivation for studying it being quite clear: to advance the political advocacy of "pragmatic application" in order to achieve the goals of "governing the state" and "saving the world." It is not surprising that Wei Yuan converted to Buddhism in his later years, as although he adhered to the pragmatic philosophy in his early political career, he always maintained a traditional scholar's attitude of adaptation between Buddhism and Taoism. Additionally, a comparative analysis is conducted on another Qing Dynasty The True Meaning of the Tao Te Ching (Zheng Huan).