Chinees denken: Over geschiedenis filosofie en samenleving

Pelican Books #29

by Roel Sterckx

How did the ancient Chinese think about the world? What does environmental consciousness stand for in the Chinese tradition? Where does China's obsession with education come from?

We are often told that the twenty-first century is bound to become China's century. Never before has Chinese culture been so physically, digitally, economically or aesthetically present in everyday life in the Western world. But how much do we really know about its origins and key beliefs especially compared to the many histories of Western philosophy?

In this enlightening book, Roel Sterckx, one of the foremost experts in Chinese thought, takes us through centuries of Chinese history, from Confucius to Daoism to the Legalists. With evocative examples from philosophy, literature and everyday life, he shows us how the ancient Chinese have shaped the thinking of a civilization that is now influencing our own.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, China, History, Politics, School, Asia

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Roel Sterckx FBA (born 1969) is a Flemish-British sinologist and anthropologist. He is the Joseph Needham Professor of Chinese History, Science, and Civilization at Cambridge University, and a fellow of Clare College.

Reviews

[Wing · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is obvious that Professor Sterckx is an ardent sinologist who has studied tons of primary texts and is able to quote them aptly and effortlessly. This book is an overview and is truly comprehensive. It is also sympathetic and almost but not quite apologetic. Recent archeological finds and appreciation of the present-day sociopolital developments are incorporated into the narrative. The occasional ironic humour with taste is a delight. Overall it is more a description rather than a critique. The followings are my own, perhaps fragmented, observations.

Ancient Chinese philosophers showed a tendency to be keen observers of correlations and heuristics, and were arduous builders of ideological systems. These systems were essentially closed and not always subjected to empirical checks. Metaphysics was expectedly speculative, and a disregard towards ontology was striking.

Various political theories emerged and resembled, to an extent, modern day conservative traditionalists, laissez-faire minarchists, utilitarian pacifists, and fascists. Their characteristics may be explained by the fact that they were gestated during periods of seemingly unending military strife.

Views on human nature were penetrating but marred by habitual dogmatism and didacticism. The obsession to pursue regularity and stability within the framework of rank and hierarchy betrayed the unavoidable sclerosis and self-referential circular arguments. There were pervasive inclinations to formalise the commonsensical, to regulate the instinctual, to moralise and politicise the banal. All these were developed with an elitist mindset that fantasised the infantilizing of the populace.
The chapter on religion is interesting. Ancestral worship is inherently tribal and pragmatic. Whilst laboriously stipulated, the lack of any firm ontological basis renders it relatively flexible, even tolerant. The chapter that follows describes a habit of apophenic allegorisation which reads morality into every single item in the universe.

As a person who can and have read some of the ancient texts myself, I think this compendium is masterfully succinct and invigoratingly insightful. All the major ancient schools of thoughts are covered with flair. Five stars.

[Lone Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Chinese thought is predominantly human-centered and practice-oriented. China’s greatest minds are not about who and what we are, but rather about how we should live our lives, how we relate to others, how we should organize society and how can we secure the well-being of those who live with us and for whom we are responsible.”

It is biased to read the book and not to mention a review about it. I grow up in a very strict Chinese cultural background family. The thought of "filial piety" has been indoctrinated since my childhood. Hence the idea of Confucius, Daoism, etc is not fresh but more like a revision to me. But I'm curious, curious in the sense that, I would like to know how Western professionals perceive Chinese culture. How do they think about the notion of "Filial Piety", and most importantly, how do these ideas differ from Western philosophy?

The author says: "To most, thinking like a Chinese meant focusing on society, politics and the ethics of the here and now. The shape of the cleaver mattered little as long as it could cut. Perhaps not much has changed." I believe it is such Pragmatism that shapes the idea and the society of China, the building blocks of China society are mostly based on practical knowledge and little retrospective on the self. Most of China's masters of philosophy were a product of the age of profound political and military turbulence. The chaos around them must have felt like the end of the world. Many thinkers were descended from the now jobless ranks of lower-level aristocratic families. They roamed from court to court to sell their ideas to whoever would grant them sustenance and patronage. Just as Master Sunzi sums it up with a conviction: "Warfare is the greatest affair of state, it is the basis of life and death, and the way to survival or extinction. Therefore it is a subject of inquiry that cannot be left un-investigated."

The cosmological view of the Chinese differed drastically from the Western ideology. Chinese Heaven (Tian) is not a place or creating force as in the Judeo-Christian tradition. It represents the force of all that exists and exerts a power that covers everyone and everything. As such, Heaven was seen as a supreme moral arbiter. The Mandate of Heaven is a political concept that is part of the vocabulary of all thinkers and statesmen in traditional China. Receiving the Mandate of Heaven was essential to claim legitimate succession. It was used as an ideology to explain and legitimize the transfer of political power.

Rather than claiming that the world was created out of nothing, the Chinese conceive of the world and its complex structures as something that evolved out of a prior state of simplicity or non-differentiation. The metaphysical view of the Chinese is mystical, all the Chinese thinkers speak of Dao. Yet the word Dao is not easily defined. It can only be understood only as an aggregate of its various meanings. But language will always be an imperfect vehicle to express what is inexpressible. The Dao cannot be able to separate into several components or elements since it is "one". It is wholeness, a unity that permeates everything and ties everything together: Humans, the Heavens, Earth. There is not much of Aristotelian mind in the Chinese philosophy of schools. The basic stuff out of which all things are configured is known as (Qi). In cosmological terms, one may think of qi as a sort of fluid that is present in the atmosphere, out of which everything condenses and into which all things dissolve. At this analogy explanations, one might think that Qi is closely related to the substance as in a term described by Democritus as "Atom". But apparently, it is not. Qi is energetic and constantly on the move, like the stream that surrounds us when we take a hot shower in a cubicle. It can condense into water drops again or evaporate when open the door, but it never really disappears. Therefore, the cosmos generates itself from a formless state through a process in which Qi is refined to produce everything in the universe which very much differs from Plato's Theory of form where Mind and Matter exist in two different realms. As the author puts it this way:

Note that I have used the word 'phases' and not 'elements'. When ancient Greeks spoke of the elements (earth, fire, water, air, ether), they conceived of these as substances or building blocks that make up everything. They were driven by the question "What is it" - what are we made of? The Chinese model of the Five Phases is different. A phase is not a thing; it is a process and a stage. The assumption is that all-natural and cultural phenomena are closely interrelated and that these correlations between the human body, nature, time, and space can be described as passing through a cycle of phases.

The Chinese philosophers detected in the cosmos and nature at large was not simply a game of abstract or speculative thinking. They devoted most of their time to thinking about those who occupied leading roles in society. Chinese Political Political science has been the same since ancient times, they look the society in a collective view where everybody plays a role in the whole. A dominant view was that human character should be formed through a regime of study and learning, and in the context of the family. The family forms the unit in which children and adults are conditioned to acquire the social skills and obligations that can be projected to the level of the state. Of all virtues that bond the family unit together, filial piety is by far the most defining one. It is the utmost moral obligation to obey and unconditionally support one's parents and the elderly. It continues to be value instilled in children and young people across the Chinese world today, despite the steady challenges of individualism and materialism brought on by a rapidly modernizing society. The young devote their efforts to the well-being of the elderly and the family as a whole.

Rituals is what it does. Rituals create their own meaning through the action itself. They include an element of performance and repetition, they tend to be scripted and, broadly, their aim is to impose order on the world....rituals can help us articulate the relationships between ourselves and between us and the world beyond.

Confucius never asked the one burning question that has consumed theologians and philosophers in other traditions elsewhere, namely whether or not spirits exist. For him, the good life was to be found and an orderly society here and now, rather than in a life hereafter. Instead of theorizing about spirits, Confucius advises that it is more important to get on with them and not to be distracted by questions to which there is no real answer. The point is that, the author believes, is that ancestral worship is not simply about the dead or the spirits. It also underpins the social maps of the living, the relationships between them, and the claims they make upon each other. While wives and sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons all take charges of their own assigned part in the rituals for a deceased father, relationships are re-affirmed between them and in the eyes of the outside world by performing ritual and being filial piety to maintain the bond beyond the generations to include the entire lineage or clan.

The most interesting part of the book is how the author describes the difference in the development of the scientific inquires compared with the West. He says: Just as the Chinese perceive nature as a whole. Here China differed from the Greek world, where, as early as Pythagoras in the sixth century BCE, and through to thinkers such as Aristotle, such curiosity in nature did inspire theoretical and analytical writings. However, to claim that the ancient Chinese did not develop a 'science of nature' on grounds that their observations treatises or discussions in a language that mirrors that of the Greeks and Romans would be a misinterpretation of Chinese achievements in many fields, including medicine, pharmacology, and astronomy. The author argues that the reason why is that the truth in the assertion that in ancient China theoretical interest in the working of nature was overshadowed by a preoccupation with human ethics and political philosophy. The social chaos prompted China's masters of philosophy to formulate their theories in the outcome of human behavior and social coherence. In sum, the author writes: "Needham and his collaborators have hinted that the combination of Confucianism, with its emphasis on social ethics, together with hierarchical and highly centralized bureaucratic institutions, is what impeded the development of science in China. It exerts a paralyzing influence akin to that medieval theology in pre-Enlightenment Europe. China invented things but did not experience an industrial revolution. Its political isolation during the Qing dynasty and lack of internal intellectual and technological competition failed to incite the development of abstract thinking."

However to look at the course of historical events and to underpin the mistake of the development of science and the impediment of political economy is biased where the evidence to support the theories is obvious but narrow. Nevertheless, I personally think this book has thoroughly interpreted most of the cosmological views of each of the schools of Chinese philosophy. Also, very comprehensive writing and interpretation of the notion of the teaching of Daoism pervades Chinese thinking even in modern society. For those, who would like to know and to read something that's lighter and easier to comprehend that focuses on the historical event that forms the social structure in Asian society, I would recommend the book by Professor David L. Johnson, A Reasoned Look at Asian Religion. Other than that, this is a perfect book to start with to understand the "Chinese Thought".

[Miglė · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to the pre-Buddhist Chinese thought and some basic, deep-rooted concepts behind it. The most important currents of Ancient Chinese thought developed during the Warring states period, where philosophers would offer their services to different lords. Therefore the most interesting and fertile ideas are in the areas of war, ruling and society.
• Value in constantly adapting to the circumstances / vital force / different roles / Dao is present in different schools of thought, but, however poetic it might sound, often takes form of other rigorous restrictions. Ruler must change colors of his clothes and his diet according to prescribed rules of five seasons, otherwise the balance of the universe (for example, crops) would be disturbed. On a personal level, it translates into changing yourself to adapt to your different roles in the society.
• The primacy of centrality as an advantageous / ruling position. While in Western societies the king is at the top, in Chinese societies the Emperor is at the center, seeing and ruling all the lands.
• The seeing and being seen or not seen dynamics were super interesting. While Confucians claim that “gentleman” or a ruler should show virtue and rule by example, other schools of thought, rooted in militaristic thought (and Sun Zi) claim that the best position is to see, but not be seen, resulting in the Emperor being hidden from view. Some develop that thought even further, claiming that the Emperor should AVOID seeing and hearing his surroundings, to protect himself from being influenced by others:

What emerges is a vision of power and authority that can be generated by being passive and receptive, by facing inward rather than outward. The sage-ruler knows the world without having to look out of his window, but to protect and safeguard his power, his senses should not be exposed to each and every matter, which would cloud his judgement and prevent him from seeing the bigger picture.

• The primacy of parents and filial piety as a core value in family relationships. There’s a very interesting chapter describing what ancestor worship would mean in one’s daily life.

The author describes the main ideas of different schools of thought on core subjects, where they intersect and where they are at odds. The first three chapters are the most interesting ones, though (China in Time and Space, The Way (Dao) and Its Ways, and The Art of Government). I felt that maybe the book ran out of steam a bit later, for example, it seems that the Chinese philosophers weren’t too interested in nature and animals, so the chapter about nature felt a bit contrived? On the other hand, it would be useful as a broad overview for someone interested in specifically that, and would provide some useful sources.

[Magnus Gridset · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helt grei bok... Jeg er mest interessert i daosime, som får mye mindre plass enn Konfutse, Xuangzi og Mozi. Flere av kapitlene er altfor lange og blir en stor suppe. Boka blir nok raskt glemt.

[Frank Merkx · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first visited China about 7 years ago, and shortly afterwards I found myself slowly transforming into a China enthusiast. I got curious about their habits and language, their strain of thought and especially their sense of community. Chinese people are Chinese! They have a very inward focus. And for Western tourists this can be a hard thing; because you are often ignored when walking the streets or visiting a local museum. It often feels like you’re almost invisible. In relation to many other countries this is a very interesting thing, as Western tourists are often seen as walking ATM’s (don’t want to be rude, it’s merely something I experienced many times).

This got me thinking. And I started doing research about Chinese history, social structure, organisation. About 5 years ago I decided to go back to school and start studying Hanyu (Modern Mandarin). It was mind-blowing- the way the language is build and is linked to the past; the way of abstraction and poetry that is part of the spoken language but especially from the written glyphs. Studying the language gave me insight. Bits and pieces of insight. But I always felt the need for a more overall depth study.

So I tried some different history books before. And often they were ok, but often boring and detailled and mainly focusing on one specific thing. ‘Chinese Thought’ by Roel Sterckx is different. Instead of focussing on details he’s trying to meander- through the ages, but also through the different conceptual tendencies. Sterckx is very much aware that we, as Westerns, are looking at China with a colored perspective. This bias is impossible to overcome, because we simply come from a continent, background and history. Addressing this bias, Sterckx is using it in the whole length of the book- trying to give perspectives from within and outside the Chinese focus.

Linking philosophical concepts with Western counterparts, and often giving linguistic add-ons, the really takes the readers with him on his meandering journey. Sometimes we’re on a shady raft, then again on a speedboat or on a luxury yacht. This book has a superbe rhythm and is well-written. The words are balanced and although there is a big language gap with Chinese, Sterckx is able to express language specific concepts in understandable words. Concepts like Wu Wei or the road of the Dao are therefor comprehensible.

Chinese thought itself is often practical. It focuses on duality: light - dark, yin - yang, nature - people. The duality is accepted as the steering mechanism of the world itself, therefor it is never questioned. But the individual parts of the equation are questioned: what is nature? What are people? How do they relate and behave? Chinese thought is build on some sort of compromise: eating to fill the emptiness of the stomach but not too much in order to avoid a gluttonous belly that can block the Qi - the endless energy force. Chinese thought is build on balance. Maintaining the balance is difficult; it’s based on the concept of Wu Wei- try to do without doing; or try to do without doing too much (creating resistance).

What is a fulfilling life? What is the role of the family, the individu, the state? And how do they co-behave and operate? Rituals, religion, economy, deities, ancestors, food and philosophy come together in an excellent publication overviewing thirty centuries of Chinese thought. Sterckx is even taking it one step further, distilling out of the history some sort of compass for a well-founded approach to the China of today and the future.

[Hugo van den Beld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heel interessant boek over de belangrijkste Chinese denkers. Nu ik dit boek heb gelezen kan ik China veel beter begrijpen: bijvoorbeeld het belang van de staat en het collectief, als uiteindelijk toch bovengeschikt aan het individu. En een zekere geheimzinnigheid vanuit de staat. En het belang van voortdurend willen leren en ontwikkelen, op weg naar moderniteit. En waarom China qua wetenschap, na de westerse verlichting, veel minder ontwikkeld is geraakt. En de waardering en het respect voor je ouders en hiërarchie. Allemaal heel herkenbaar in de beelden van China ‘nu’. Dat heeft echt een heel andere oorsprong dan het westerse denken. Bij Chinezen gaat het meer om het ‘hoe’, dan om het ‘wat’. Boek is een aanrader!

[Lukas Sommer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am worried my rating of this book is a little harsh.
The reason why I didn’t rank it any higher is because I expected something different. I expected the book to deal more with the following two questions: “How do these [Chinese] ideas differ from Western philosophy?“ and “Why does it matter today?”, as the paperback version reads.
Instead I felt like the only question answered was the third one, admittedly, also written on the book’s cover: “How did the ancient Chinese think about the world?”. The “ancient” was supposed to be all-caps, I guess.

[Nicholas Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice overview to Chinese thought - clearly written and well explained. I didn't give the extra star because there is no new insights or perspectives.

[Whisper19 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book if you need an intro into Chinese culture and thought.
There are so many little things you learn here. I would recommend it to anyone interested in dipping their feet into Chinese culture.

[ham ish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not being too familiar with philosophy, I found this wonderful book to be accessible while offering plenty of detail and insights into Chinese culture and viewpoints, and how’s its changed (and not) throughout the ages. It had me hooked! Thanks for this Claudia!

[Stijn Jager · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessante inkijk, maar niet heel veel nieuws. Het helpt ook niet dat het Chinees denken in kwestie niet verder dan de 12de eeuw wordt verkend. Wel pluspunten voor het veelvuldig gebruik van primair bronmateriaal.

[Vivi · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could only say one word about this book I'd say that Confucius was one hell of a prissy. But well, obviously, there's much more to it.

The book is truly a comprehensive and accessible overview of Chinese thought. Often times, when I read 'Chinese world' inspired fiction (not limited to just the ''Western ones" - this includes native material too), I find the essence of the stories lacking a little something. While reading this, it clicked for me. "Western" fiction often displays an understanding of the world in an Asian fusion like sense, and at worst, a 21st-century update of orientalism. "Native" Chinese fiction, on the other hand, babbles and quotes out of context those ancient old farts into the respective Xianxia, Wuxia, and other genres. And modern Chinese politicians (or their scriptwriters as the author so aptly says) aren't excluded from this fiction-making with their favorite quotes for instance, "Within the four seas, all men are brothers (Analects 12.5)". Nor are the parents, who decided it best to serve their 21st-century daughters with constant reminders from 女誡/Nu jie about 'womanly virtue', 'womanly speech', 'womanly manners', and 'womanly work'. Keep in mind that the source material is from around 48-116 CE. We're talking about the Roman conquest times here. Yet what kind of nourishing ground of thought would allow such dogmatic sayings to survive to this very day, down to the moment when I cross my legs and immediately all previous generation females begin admonishing my unwomanly behaviors?

I cannot say it enough. The author has painted a knowledgable and complex landscape of Classic Chinese thought examining the Confucian, Daoist, Legalists, and so on and all their contradictions, branches, and birthing conditions. There is not much analysis as it functions more like a reference book, and yet it offers much more than a typical reference. I'd best describe it as a collection of essays on the various realms of ancient Chinese philosophy and all those oldsters' thoughts and gripes about it. It's so info-packed and tastefully witty. As much as there were Confucian proponents, there were fiery opponents who would criticize everything and nothing. What is the best way to serve all and one, or all before one, or one before all, or you know what - just give up on everything? Welcome to Sinology 101.

Bring this book to the big family gatherings as your weapon of choice if you will, but it would go against all sensible reasons to bring it to contend with those in the motherland. You might join the ancients for real in the afterlife.

If you're a dumb dumb like me who can't read the primary sources yourself then I'd highly recommend this.

[jzthompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always admire the shameless brass neck of these books where the introduction hints that understanding ancient China is key to the China of today.... and then the actual text gives the impression that the author finds anything more recent than a thousand years ago an irrelevant distraction at best.

So no, this probably isn't the place for a bucaneering young entrepreneur out to conquer the world to start on the 'understanding China' front. It *is* a very wide ranging overview of the concerns of the ancient Chinese philosophers. Most of the intros I have read so far cover Chinese thinkers views on the good life and the good society, and this is well covered here with the familiar cast of characters present, this book broadens out the perspective to go into more depth on the entire Chinese cosmology and magico-religious importance of ancestor worship and qi and such like. Placing things into an entire world system.

I think on balance I found the very short introduction to confucianism more satisfying and exciting, some bits of this did drag a little, but I'm very glad I read this as well. I think I'd have made a good imperial bureaucrat.

[Daniel Clemence · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book looks over the philosophy and ideas of Chinese history. Reading after reading a book on Western political theory gives an understanding as to why Chinese civilization is so different to the Western world. This book scratches the surface of Chinese philosophy, looking at politics, society, economics and even cooking.

The chapters were subdivided into different themes including the art of government, society and individual, ancestor worship and economics. I would say the section on work and wealth was the most interesting because the high hostility towards merchants contrasts other societies in history. Farmers were seen in high regard in this culture.

This is a good snapshot into Chinese culture and Chinese history from the lens of philosophy.

[Crocat · Rating 4 out of 5]

As could be expected from a book of this length that sets out to cover such a wide range of topics within Chinese philosophy (which in itself is very broad given the length of China's history), it feels like there's a lot left unsaid, especially in terms of finer detail. Still, it's a pretty good introduction to Chinese philosophy in general and isn't too dry, so it's a relatively light but still informative read

[Al · Rating 2 out of 5]

I no doubt believe Professor Sterckx knows exactly what he is talking about (is Joseph Needham professor of Chinese history at Cambridge after all!). However, when it comes to writing something that is meant to be accessible...he certainly can't match his knowledge with talent for writing.

This book took me 2.5 years to read. Years. The first quarter is actually brilliant but then it descends into just quite random attempts to pass on areas of philosophy and it all comes up very random and lacking focus.

However, I do hope to read this again in a few years when I know more and reassess my views!

[Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! I'm studying sinology in uni and this cleared up so many of my confusions about certain Chinese concepts. If you want a well-explained introduction to Chinese thinking, this is a definitely a rec!

[Owen Etches · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking into the history of thought in Chinese culture was something I've been interested in for a while now. Philosophy of the past often shapes the society of today.

Roel Sterckx is a truly great sinologist, and I'm glad to have learned so much from this book.

[Simindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book has a lot of good information it suffers from a lack of focus and towards the end really veers off from Chinese philosophy into folk traditions, superstitions, and just general history and cultural anthropology (especially the chapters on nature and spirits and ancestors)

[Alex L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very approachable introduction to some of the key ideas from Chinese history and today.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good start covering the core (at least to my layperson's mind) but after about the halfway point it loses focus and flails out into loose coverage of how various topics relate to chinese thought

[Danae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muy entretenido para aprender del país que verdaderamente la lleva.

[Bastiaan Mozes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing concise overview of Chinese thought and history, would recommend.

[Zebedy Pebedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book goes through the different strands of philosophy through Chinese history, how they developed and the historical background within which change occurred. Focusing mainly on Confucianism, it also explains Legalist, Daoist, Mozist and other philosophies. Doing this requires a breakdown of the language within which ideas were expressed; namely the key ideas of Qi, Dao, yin-yang.

The book begins with a fairly concise breakdown of Chinese history, how the warring states period influenced Chinese thought - philosophers were prized for their ideas having practical use for competing military powers, constant chaos leading to a war over ideas on how society should be ordered. Time, and the course of history, is seen both in linear and cyclical ways by philosophers; progression of life as well as constant rise and fall of empires, with China as the centre of civilisation.

A dive into Dao and Qi, their inexplicable but omnipresent nature, is followed. It’s like water - you can’t grab it, or break it, it flows uninterrupted. Chinese thought is dominated by correlative thinking - we view the world in binary contrasts - hot against cold, etc. Yin and yang is connected to this - describes functions in a world that is constantly in flux.

Next, a focus on government, a key part of applied Chinese philosophy. ‘The Art of War’ is the most famous text on this subject, advocating for trying to win before the battle begins - battle is the last resort, with highly disciplined troops, usage of strategy to achieve total annihilation. A similar approach to society is applied, with a harmonious society seen as one where everyone is in order. Confucius does apply a moral view, where rulers find authority by inspiring others through their moral behaviour - optimistic view of society and human nature. Citizens must have an internal moral compass to ensure a harmonious society. Daoism is opposed to this, advocating that there is strength in refusing political power; deeply cynical of the effect of rule. Finally, legalist thought comes back to Sun Tzu’s idea of an army needing to be disciplined - an authoritarian state which has total control over the populace. A pessimistic view of human nature leads to the supposition that a clear, ironclad legal system, with absolute obedience to the state, is required. A legalist ruler is a “brutal social engineer”, totally focused on military and agricultural advancement.

Chinese philosophers don’t tend to focus on human nature, but there are two opposing strands of thought, led by Xunzi and Mencius. Remarkably similar to liberalism/conservatism, although nearly two thousand years earlier. Xunzi believes human nature is bad, requiring a deliberate program of education in order to develop. In contrast, Mencius posits that human nature is inherently good, with inclination towards moral good, which needs to be developed (Positive freedom). Both believe that humans can be developed to ‘sages’, just disagree on the starting point.

Confucianism and rituals are paid attention to. Confucius held them as vital for the running of society - it creates meaning through action, and helps create a common order within the world, in a similar way that language does.

Spirits and ancestors- while philosophers do not concern themselves with a unified religion, there is an idea of heaven, and also supernatural forces. Confucius doesn’t concern himself with understanding the spirit world - instead he focuses on practicalities. Rituals are important here too - through the sacrifice of food and goods to the ancestors, for blessings and good luck.

Economic organisation is sparsely talked about by philosophers, focus on agriculture as morally superior to mercantilism. The pursuit of wealth isn’t discouraged, but it is tempered by the warning not to acquire wealth through unjust methods.

Overall, I thought this book was a really good overview of the different ideas in Chinese thought, and more specifically explains how and why these ideas developed. Although I understand the draw of correlative thinking, I find it limits true understanding - things are squashed in order to fit into orderly boxes. Confucianism seems oddly naive, focus on morality contradictory at points - filial piety - and arrogant. It seems to have had a paralysing impact on the development of new ideas in Chinese society, in the same way that religion may have done in Europe until the enlightenment. Legalist thought is deeply interesting - I think it has had a stronger continued impact on Chinese society than first thought, in its deeply pragmatic approach. I found daoism opaque at times, but moving at others. I understood the idea of constant change - everything is a journey, we are all just moving through it. In all, a fantastic dive into Chinese philosophy

[Laurence Westwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic and accessible overview

[Russell Chee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really accessible introduction to a remarkable school of philosophy that hasn't quite earned its place alongside the great Western philosophers. One unifying thread the author employs is the distinction between the pragmatic nature of Chinese thought and the more epistemological, ontological leanings of Western thought, an argument I found convincing and insightful.

Also, a really marvelous last passage awaits any reader who finishes it, arguing that the essential distinction in Chinese thought is not rationalist vs idealist, spiritualist vs skeptic, logic vs intuition, or epistemological debates, but instead a more practical thought about whether to alter or adapt, engage or withdraw, manipulate and control or preserve and detach.