The Philosophical Thought of Wang Chong

Description

This book is a study of the methodological, metaphysical, and epistemological work of the Eastern Han Dynasty period scholar Wang Chong. It presents Wang’s philosophical thought as a unique and syncretic culmination of a number of ideas developed in earlier Han and Warring States philosophy. Wang’s philosophical methodology and his theories of truth, knowledge, and will and determinism offer solutions to a number of problems in the early Chinese tradition. His views also have much to offer contemporary philosophy, suggesting new ways of thinking about familiar problems. While Wang is best known as a critic and skeptic, Alexus McLeod argues that these aspects of his thought form only a part of a larger positive project, aimed at discerning truth in a variety of senses. Front Matter ....Pages i-viii Introduction: Wang Chong and Philosophy in Early China (Alexus McLeod)....Pages 1-22 Background, Writings, and Influence (Alexus McLeod)....Pages 23-68 Philosophical and Critical Method (Alexus McLeod)....Pages 69-129 Truth: Properties and Pluralism (Alexus McLeod)....Pages 131-179 Naturalism: Tian and Qi (Alexus McLeod)....Pages 181-199 Free Will, Allotment, and Inborn Characteristics (Alexus McLeod)....Pages 201-232 Conclusion: The Significance of Wang Chong’s Philosophical Thought (Alexus McLeod)....Pages 233-236 Back Matter ....Pages 237-257