Chinese Philosophy

The development of Chinese philosophy was influenced by Buddhism to a large degree. Its idealist method of thinking influenced both Neo-Confucianism and Taoism in the Sung (960-1279) and Ming (1363-1644) dynasties. Its methods of reasoning containing some logical ideas have also been adopted by certain progressive thinkers of later times though critically and with modifications. The mutual influence and finally the blending of the Metaphysical School with Buddhism and Taoism was the main characteristic of the orthodox school of thought among the ruling class from the Tsin dynasty to the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589).

Wang Fu-chih made a profound study of traditional Chinese philosophy. He also studied and criticized the idealist philosophy of the Buddhists. The existence of material things, he believed, did not depend upon our mind and will. He pointed out that there were things which men already knew and there were things which men did not yet know then, but none of these things depended on man for their existence. That some things were unknown did not mean that they would remain unknown for ever. Man would learn more and more until he reached nearer and nearer to the absolute truth. He called this the learning of the sages and its counterpart heresy. He was using a traditional term to develop his own materialism.

Using the positive method in studying Chinese philosophy Chang Tai-yen put forward many original and constructive ideas. He was opposed, for instance, to the Kungyang School's theory of love. He said that this idea which, in Confucius' thought, implied "conscientiousness and altruism" might be interpreted to mean the deductive and inductive methods of logic. He gave the idealist philosophers Tzu Ssu and Mencius no place in the history of philosophy. He considered the popularity of the mystical theory of the "five elements" to be the result of Tzu Ssu's patronage. With regard to Chinese philosophy from the Han dynasty onwards he held many views notable for their veracity. He said, for instance, that Wang Chung was the only philosopher worthy of the name in the Han dynasty. He also considered Cheng Yi and Chu Hsi as arch-hypocrites. All these ideas of his reveal his keen insight.

On the fundamental problem of philosophy, i.e. the problem of matter and spirit, Sun Yat-sen affirmed that matter is substance and spirit is the functioning of substance. The internal and external organs of the human body, for instance, are all substance while speech and motion are functions, performed by man's spirit. Matter and spirit, or substance and function, co-ordinate with each other and are inseparable. By using the traditional terminology in Chinese philosophy Sun Yat-sen established the principle for his own simple materialist world outlook.

In the struggle between the reactionary thinkers and the Marxists one thing is particularly interesting and worthy of note. The bourgeois scholars were confident that they had something to show in the fields of Chinese history and the history of Chinese philosophy. They thought that here they could hold the Marxists at bay. But to their great chagrin the battle-steeled Marxists were quite competent in these fields and their arguments were invincible. In controversies about the nature of Chinese society, the social history of China, and the history of Chinese thought and culture, the Marxists fought the bourgeois scholars with a tenacity similar to that of Engels in his fight against Duhring. Led by Kuo Mo-jo and basing their arguments upon scientific research and an even larger amount of material than their enemies possessed, they emerged triumphant. They exposed the vacuity of bourgeois scholarship, revealing that its treasures were rubbish, that the bourgeois scholars were living in the past instead of the present and were wasting their time and deceiving the people. In thus debunking bourgeois scholarship and charting a new scientific approach to learning, the Marxists did a great service to China's academic life.

Order Custom Essay on Chinese Philosophy