Readings in Later Chinese Philosophy: Han to the 20th Century

by Justin Tiwald (Editor), Bryan W. Van Norden (Editor)

An exceptional contribution to the teaching and study of Chinese thought, this anthology provides fifty-eight selections arranged chronologically in five main Han Thought, Chinese Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism, Late Imperial Confucianism, and the Twentieth Century. The editors have selected writings that have been influential, that are philosophically engaging, and that can be understood as elements of an ongoing dialogue, particularly on issues regarding ethical cultivation, human nature, virtue, government, and the underlying structure of the universe. Within those topics, issues of contemporary interest, such as Chinese ideas about gender and the experiences of women, are brought to light.Introductions to each main section provide an overview of the period, while brief headnotes to selections highlight key points.The translations are the works of many distinguished scholars, and were chosen for their accuracy and accessibility, especially for students, general readers, and scholars who do not read Chinese. Special effort has been made to maintain consistency of key terms across translations.Also included are a glossary, bibliography, index of names, and an index locorum of The Four Books.

Genres: Philosophy, China, Buddhism, Nonfiction

440 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2014

Reviews

[Margareta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am bound to return to this one again. Excellent book, whether you're a layperson curious about Chinese philosophy or you're a student of it.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is obviously excellent, the selections is well-chosen/representative, the commentary is good enough to elucidate the main intention behind each piece without being overly overbearing, and the mentioned time period is true to its name. I very much enjoyed reading each and every philosopher, with the possible exception of the Buddhists and Mou Zongsan. Regardless, I intend on getting a good edition of everybody I've "sampled" here.

The only semi-complaint I have is that this anthology is very heavily skewed in Confucian representation. The only people here that aren't in that tradition are Fayan/Huineng/Masters (Chinese Buddhism), Liu Shaoqi (Marxism but also Confucian elements), and Hu Shi (Pragmatism?). There isn't a single selection from a Daoist or even Syncretic text despite there many of them having substantial philosophical content or importance (i.e: Huainanzi). As someone who is specifically interested in Confucianism and its manifestations throughout Chinese history, it was fine and even advantageous for me personally. However if you want a more comprehensive and broader overview of all the myriads of thoughts and traditions that have formed "later" Chinese civilization, you may want to find something that is more all-encompassing.

[Ethan Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

We need more and better translations from the Chinese, and this one deserves praise. The selections are consistently interesting and well handled with an appropriate level of explanation for an introduction. Since this is an anthology covering over a thousand years of thinking, switching from section to section can require considerable effort from a reader who has to switch rapidly between different ways of talking. That goes with the territory.

More generally, the availability of Chinese philosophy in English tends to be limited to the a handful of exceptionally famous classics--the Analects, the Mengzi--or to the extensive writings of religious traditions that have a presence in Western countries--Buddhism and to a lesser extent Daoism. This can give the anglophone reader a somewhat distorted sense of the main currents of Chinese thought. Books like this one are a valuable corrective.

[Hannah Kersemeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Commentaries and translation were really well done, this was a good book to comprehensively understand key players in eastern philosophy

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent textbook. I would happily assign this to students in a course on Chinese intellectual history or philosophy that extended across the centuries.

Edit: so I did end up assigning this for a course in Chinese intellectual history and it did not let me down. There are so many great, lesser known (in the west) pieces translated brilliantly in here in a fascinating and engaging way that still stays faithful to the original Chinese writings. I’m so glad that a textbook like this exists today.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really excellent resource. I used readings from all sections up to the Ming Dynasty Neo-Confucians in my class. Looking forward to reading the final section for my personal edification.