The Great Learning大学温海明

Prof. WEN Haiming

Associate Professor, School of Philosophy

Renmin University of China 中国人民大学哲学院副教授

Ph.D. University of Hawaii夏威夷大学哲学博士

23/4/21Prof. Haiming Wen, School of Philosophy, Renmin

University of China1

Basis

Chun and Qiu period and Warring States period dominated by warfare and disorder

Feudal ages governed by li – ceremonies, rituals, proper conduct

Li governed individual as well as state conduct

Peacetime and wartime li Roughly equivalent to today’s international

law Story of the duke at the Battle of Hung

Chinese Unification 221 BCE – state of Qin conquers others Ch’in is one of seven states at that time Skilled in war, prosperous, ruthless Emperor Qinshihuang Since 221 BCE China has remained

united for most of history Chinese people have grown

accustomed to centralized organization promoting peace

Comfortable with modern law structures

International Philosophical Focus

Great Learning is a chapter in the Li Ji, or Book of Rites, primary Neo-Confucian text

The “main cords” are manifesting illustrious virtue, loving people, and resting in the highest good

The “eight wires” amount to cultivation of self

Focus on achieving global virtue, starting with individual virtue

Connection of individuals to the broader world

Eclecticism

Synthesizing of philosophical schools Searching for agreement Xunzi as Confucianism: different schools

are all single aspects of the whole Dao Zhuang-zi: Confucians know

“institutions,” Daoists know “principle” Together they make a whole truth

More Eclectics

Ssu-ma T’an, a Taoist Wrote in the “Great Appendix” that

philosophy had one purpose, and “100 paths” to achieve it

Liu Hsin, a Confucianist Wrote in Seven Summaries that each

school had its “strong points” Uniting them all would bring mastery

of virtue

Conclusions

Eclecticism, internationalism reflect conditions of 3rd Century BCE

Unification of country, unification of thought

They combined various “strong points”

Was their Dao the real Dao? Or just a patch-work, unconnected

and disparate?

823/4/21Prof. Haiming Wen, School of Philosophy, Renmin

University of China