Work · East Asian Philosophy
Outline of the History of Chinese Philosophy
Often regarded as the first history of ancient Chinese philosophy written with modern critical method, treating the classical masters as historical thinkers; an earlier general history by Xie Wuliang had appeared in 1916.
Introduction
Hu Shih, who had studied with John Dewey at Columbia University, published this first volume in 1919 with the Commercial Press in Shanghai, with a preface by Cai Yuanpei, president of Peking University; a second volume never appeared. The book broke with tradition by beginning not with the legendary sage kings but with Laozi and Confucius, and by treating the classical masters as historical thinkers whose texts had to be dated and critically examined. Much space goes to the logic of the Mohists and other schools, read as a scientific method comparable to Western logic. The book set a model for academic history of philosophy in China and was soon challenged, among others by Feng Youlan.
Connections
Builds on
- Mohist Canonsc. 300 BCE · Mozi
Answered in
- A History of Chinese Philosophy1934 · Feng Youlan
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