A textual argument for understanding the Zhuangzi without the conventional wisdom that Taoism = w... more A textual argument for understanding the Zhuangzi without the conventional wisdom that Taoism = worship of a transcendent power analogous to God called "The Tao."
Publication Information: Book Title: Experimental Essays on Chuang-Tzu. Contributors: Victor H. M... more Publication Information: Book Title: Experimental Essays on Chuang-Tzu. Contributors: Victor H. Mair - editor. Publisher: University of Hawaii Press. Place of Publication: Honolulu. Publication Year: 1983. Page Number: 24. ... This feature allows you to create and manage separate ...
Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR), 1987
... reconsidered. Chinese thinkers from Mo-tzu to Mao Tse-tung, were social political activists. ... more ... reconsidered. Chinese thinkers from Mo-tzu to Mao Tse-tung, were social political activists. ... stuff. I also need such abstractions in order to distinguish one particular part of "horse-stuff" from other parts: my palomino from the herd of horses. ...
Page 1. Chad D. Hansen Mass nouns and "a white horse is not a horse" The fourth century... more Page 1. Chad D. Hansen Mass nouns and "a white horse is not a horse" The fourth century BC School of Names is the natural place to begin discussion ... Chad D. Hansen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh. ...
It began with the Phoenicians. Most written languages now use their invention— a phonetic alphabe... more It began with the Phoenicians. Most written languages now use their invention— a phonetic alphabet. The invention of alphabetic writing escorted an influential theory of language onto the intellectual stage. Aristotle expressed the basic outline of that theory, which has since dominated Indo-European views of language:Now spoken sounds are symbols of affections in the soul, and written marks symbols of the spoken sounds. And just as written marks are not the same for all men, neither are spoken sounds. But what these are in the first place signs of—affections in the soul—are the same for all; and what these affections are likenesses of— actual things-are also the same.
In this chapter, I address human rights as an illustration of the role of comparative ethics in n... more In this chapter, I address human rights as an illustration of the role of comparative ethics in normative reasoning. In Section I, I distinguish comparative ethics from related intellectual enterprises inside and outside philosophy and discuss the difficulties of a comparative conception of morality. In Section II, I argue that the normative relevance of comparative studies is subtle and indirect. It flows out of three conditions of normative respect. I argue that these apply in the case of a Chinese– Western comparison but do not warrant treating all traditions as equals. These conditions underlie the appeal of a “synthesis of East and West” and illustrate the limited normative relevance of comparative ethics. I argue that any envisioned synthesis must come from continued moral discourse within the distinct normative traditions themselves. Comparativists may inform the traditions about each other and thus stimulate moral discourse but may not otherwise “guide” or adjudicate the sha...
I thank Professors Finnigan and Garfield (Jay) and the editors of Philosophy East and West for in... more I thank Professors Finnigan and Garfield (Jay) and the editors of Philosophy East and West for inviting me to join in this discussion of Chinese Buddhism. I have not taken many opportunities in my career to write about Zen Buddhism and Daoism, although I have been fascinated by their connection. I remember quite clearly a discussion I had with Jay some years back in which I broached the idea that Daoism had contrib uted important dialectical steps leading to the formulation of Zen, which I join the Chinese tradition in regarding as the highest version of the Buddhist insight. Jay ar gued to me at that time that the necessary insights were actually all available in Nagarjuna. I am accordingly pleased to see him exploring the idea of the contribu tions that features of Chinese thought might have made to this development in Bud dhism, although I don't assume that he needs to repudiate Nagarjuna's depth of insight or the claim that it contains all that is strictly necessary for the Zen account of insight or enlightenment. Accordingly in my discussion here, I will focus on how I see features of Chinese Daoist thought facilitating, if not providing necessary and sufficient conditions for, these insights. The account I will give targets neither Buddhist epistemology nor the state of mind of one who achieves the insight. Nor, strictly speaking, is my account focused on Buddhist ethics, which in my view would be the deontology of the Eight fold Path. However, along with Professor Finnigan, I will take the Four Noble Truths as the beginning point. Chinese schools tend to treat this as kindergarten Buddhism. I would agree that the other three noble truths raise issues in meta-ethics and the quasi-ethical issue of the meaning of life (is it meaningless suffering from which the only goal is escape?). The problem of Buddhism from China's point of view was how to reconcile the deeply pessimistic, nihilistic, and decadent (apologies to Nietzsche) tone of Buddhism with the upbeat, humorous, joyful exuberance of Chinese Daoism. Despite their different settings, my narrative will still pass through and deal with Finnigan's worry that some alleged tension in wu-wei is not resolved in Chinese thought and thus cannot resolve the deeper problem in Buddhism. I was invited
For the past several years a controversy has raged about the applicability of ethical concepts li... more For the past several years a controversy has raged about the applicability of ethical concepts like “human rights” to non-Western or developing societies and specifically to China. It is a debate with particular urgency in Hong Kong where past and future history complicate matters. A 1993 meeting among Asian nations in Bangkok turned on this one issue. The 1993 “Bangkok Declaration” compromised on the following formulation: 8. Recognise that while human rights are universal in nature, they must be considered in the context of a dynamic and evolving process of international norm-setting bearing in mind the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds…
Chinese Confucianism and Daoism CHAD HANSEN One problem Chinese thought raises for philosophy of ... more Chinese Confucianism and Daoism CHAD HANSEN One problem Chinese thought raises for philosophy of religion is that it raises so few problems clearly in philosophy of religion as usually understood. This is awk- ward because we class Confucianism and Daoism among the ...
A textual argument for understanding the Zhuangzi without the conventional wisdom that Taoism = w... more A textual argument for understanding the Zhuangzi without the conventional wisdom that Taoism = worship of a transcendent power analogous to God called "The Tao."
Publication Information: Book Title: Experimental Essays on Chuang-Tzu. Contributors: Victor H. M... more Publication Information: Book Title: Experimental Essays on Chuang-Tzu. Contributors: Victor H. Mair - editor. Publisher: University of Hawaii Press. Place of Publication: Honolulu. Publication Year: 1983. Page Number: 24. ... This feature allows you to create and manage separate ...
Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR), 1987
... reconsidered. Chinese thinkers from Mo-tzu to Mao Tse-tung, were social political activists. ... more ... reconsidered. Chinese thinkers from Mo-tzu to Mao Tse-tung, were social political activists. ... stuff. I also need such abstractions in order to distinguish one particular part of "horse-stuff" from other parts: my palomino from the herd of horses. ...
Page 1. Chad D. Hansen Mass nouns and "a white horse is not a horse" The fourth century... more Page 1. Chad D. Hansen Mass nouns and "a white horse is not a horse" The fourth century BC School of Names is the natural place to begin discussion ... Chad D. Hansen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh. ...
It began with the Phoenicians. Most written languages now use their invention— a phonetic alphabe... more It began with the Phoenicians. Most written languages now use their invention— a phonetic alphabet. The invention of alphabetic writing escorted an influential theory of language onto the intellectual stage. Aristotle expressed the basic outline of that theory, which has since dominated Indo-European views of language:Now spoken sounds are symbols of affections in the soul, and written marks symbols of the spoken sounds. And just as written marks are not the same for all men, neither are spoken sounds. But what these are in the first place signs of—affections in the soul—are the same for all; and what these affections are likenesses of— actual things-are also the same.
In this chapter, I address human rights as an illustration of the role of comparative ethics in n... more In this chapter, I address human rights as an illustration of the role of comparative ethics in normative reasoning. In Section I, I distinguish comparative ethics from related intellectual enterprises inside and outside philosophy and discuss the difficulties of a comparative conception of morality. In Section II, I argue that the normative relevance of comparative studies is subtle and indirect. It flows out of three conditions of normative respect. I argue that these apply in the case of a Chinese– Western comparison but do not warrant treating all traditions as equals. These conditions underlie the appeal of a “synthesis of East and West” and illustrate the limited normative relevance of comparative ethics. I argue that any envisioned synthesis must come from continued moral discourse within the distinct normative traditions themselves. Comparativists may inform the traditions about each other and thus stimulate moral discourse but may not otherwise “guide” or adjudicate the sha...
I thank Professors Finnigan and Garfield (Jay) and the editors of Philosophy East and West for in... more I thank Professors Finnigan and Garfield (Jay) and the editors of Philosophy East and West for inviting me to join in this discussion of Chinese Buddhism. I have not taken many opportunities in my career to write about Zen Buddhism and Daoism, although I have been fascinated by their connection. I remember quite clearly a discussion I had with Jay some years back in which I broached the idea that Daoism had contrib uted important dialectical steps leading to the formulation of Zen, which I join the Chinese tradition in regarding as the highest version of the Buddhist insight. Jay ar gued to me at that time that the necessary insights were actually all available in Nagarjuna. I am accordingly pleased to see him exploring the idea of the contribu tions that features of Chinese thought might have made to this development in Bud dhism, although I don't assume that he needs to repudiate Nagarjuna's depth of insight or the claim that it contains all that is strictly necessary for the Zen account of insight or enlightenment. Accordingly in my discussion here, I will focus on how I see features of Chinese Daoist thought facilitating, if not providing necessary and sufficient conditions for, these insights. The account I will give targets neither Buddhist epistemology nor the state of mind of one who achieves the insight. Nor, strictly speaking, is my account focused on Buddhist ethics, which in my view would be the deontology of the Eight fold Path. However, along with Professor Finnigan, I will take the Four Noble Truths as the beginning point. Chinese schools tend to treat this as kindergarten Buddhism. I would agree that the other three noble truths raise issues in meta-ethics and the quasi-ethical issue of the meaning of life (is it meaningless suffering from which the only goal is escape?). The problem of Buddhism from China's point of view was how to reconcile the deeply pessimistic, nihilistic, and decadent (apologies to Nietzsche) tone of Buddhism with the upbeat, humorous, joyful exuberance of Chinese Daoism. Despite their different settings, my narrative will still pass through and deal with Finnigan's worry that some alleged tension in wu-wei is not resolved in Chinese thought and thus cannot resolve the deeper problem in Buddhism. I was invited
For the past several years a controversy has raged about the applicability of ethical concepts li... more For the past several years a controversy has raged about the applicability of ethical concepts like “human rights” to non-Western or developing societies and specifically to China. It is a debate with particular urgency in Hong Kong where past and future history complicate matters. A 1993 meeting among Asian nations in Bangkok turned on this one issue. The 1993 “Bangkok Declaration” compromised on the following formulation: 8. Recognise that while human rights are universal in nature, they must be considered in the context of a dynamic and evolving process of international norm-setting bearing in mind the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds…
Chinese Confucianism and Daoism CHAD HANSEN One problem Chinese thought raises for philosophy of ... more Chinese Confucianism and Daoism CHAD HANSEN One problem Chinese thought raises for philosophy of religion is that it raises so few problems clearly in philosophy of religion as usually understood. This is awk- ward because we class Confucianism and Daoism among the ...
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