Thought and Reflection - The History of Philosophy and Philosophy in History (Volume of Yang Guorong)

Author: Yang Guorong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This book is a selection of the author's works over the past decade, focusing primarily on the history and theory of philosophy. As the author has repeatedly emphasized, in the field of philosophy, history and thought, philosophy and the history of philosophy cannot be entirely separated. Whether in the history of Chinese philosophy or the evolution of Western philosophy, the systems now examined and studied as the object of the history of philosophy were, at the time of their formation, more often crystallizations of theoretical thinking. In other words, before becoming a part of the history of philosophy, they were first philosophical theories. The aforementioned connection between history and thought, between the history of philosophy and philosophical theory, determines that the author cannot discuss history in isolation from thought, nor can he engage in philosophical thinking without reference to history. However, affirming the unity of history and thought does not mean that there cannot be a focus in specific research. In fact, from the perspective of the research process, different topics often point to different objects; the latter can be presented in the form of "history" or developed into the form of "thought." Correspondingly, based on the different emphases of specific objects and content, this book is also divided into two parts: the first part focuses on "history," while the second part primarily concerns "thought." Of course, although they have different emphases, they are not mutually exclusive: the examination of "history" always involves the perspective of "thought"; the development of "thought" always takes "history" as its source. "History and Thought" and "Thought and History" both attempt to highlight the different emphases of the two parts while simultaneously affirming their interrelatedness. Under the general theme of "History and Thought," the included works primarily deal with the history of Chinese philosophy. In terms of issues, they include inquiries into goodness and truth, reflections on the "why" and "how" of existence, the distinction between heaven and humanity, and the positioning of existence and realm, and so on; in terms of schools, the discussion covers Confucianism and Taoism, metaphysics and Neo-Confucianism; in terms of historical periods, the discussed scope encompasses pre-Qin, Wei-Jin, Song-Ming, as well as modern and contemporary times. From the perspective of research methods, this book attempts to reflect the interaction and resonance between issues and trends, individuals and schools, classical and modern; this research approach strives to present the intellectual journey of Chinese philosophy. Under the heading of "Thought and History," the topics are more focused on the theories of philosophy itself. From the question of what philosophy is, to the interpretation of rational thinking and intersubjective relationships; from the definition of science and humanity, to the examination of modernity; from discussions of virtue, to the analysis of ethics; from the clarification of the metaphysical realm, to concerns about culture and justice; from overcoming the separation between existence and value, to moving toward the unity of truth, goodness, and beauty, the "thought" grounded in "history" returns to the world of human relationships from different angles and thereby moves toward authentic existence. From a broader perspective, it contains the fusion of "thought," while also involving the interrelationship between the "history" of "thought" and the "thought" rooted in "history." What is thought is not limited to "history": in the ultimate sense, it takes the world of human relationships as its origin, but "history" undoubtedly leads "thought" toward existence itself in one way. The unity of thought and what is thought, as reflected in thought and history, endows the wisdom of philosophy with concrete meaning. Of course, as a collection of works over the past decade, this book retains traces of different periods in terms of documentation references (including the versions of the cited works) and the expression of ideas. To preserve the original historical context, these formal or substantive marks have been largely left unchanged in the selection presented here.