Returning to Primordially Creative Thinking

Description

This book identifies that “Xiang thinking” is the eidetic connotation and a fundamental trait of traditional Chinese thinking, offering insights of considerable methodological significance. "Xiang thinking" is a mode of thinking different from conceptual thinking or idealized rational thinking and, in a certain sense, it is more primal. In the past century, particularly since 1949, the primary works on Chinese philosophical history have, as a rule, addressed the ancient Chinese tradition of philosophical ideas by virtue of the philosophies of Plato, Descartes and Hegel: methods that inherently challenge Chinese philosophical insights. This has naturally led to the fact that the insights as such remained obscured. This book starts to reverse this trend, intending to help Chinese people understand and appraise themselves in a more down-to-earth fashion. In addition, it is particularly helpful to people of other cultures if they want to understand ancient Chinese philosophy and culture in a context of fresh and inspiring philosophical ideas. (By Zhang Xianglong) Front Matter ....Pages i-xlvi “Xiang Thinking” in Chinese and Western Views (Shuren Wang)....Pages 1-14 The Primordially Creative Thinking of Zhouyi and “Xiang Thinking” (Shuren Wang)....Pages 15-64 The “Dao” of Laozi and “Xiang Thinking” (Shuren Wang)....Pages 65-125 The State and Spirit of Zhuangzi (Shuren Wang)....Pages 127-232 The Stature and Wisdom of Zen’s “Knowing the Mind Before Seeing the Nature” (Shuren Wang)....Pages 233-307 Back Matter ....Pages 309-318