Contemporary Chinese Philosophy

9780631217251

0631217258

Since the end of the nineteenth century, Chinese philosophy has experienced an intensely self-conscious creative transformation. Contemporary Chinese philosophers developed sophisticated positions in many central areas of philosophy and set out to reinterpret the complex inheritance of ancient Chinese philosophy. Contemporary Chinese Philosophy features leading scholars describing and critically assessing the works of sixteen major twentieth-century Chinese philosophers. The book explores these philosophers' attempts to revive and modernize the Confucian, Daoist, Mohist, Legalist, Logicist, Neo-Confucian, and Buddhist schools as well as their critiques of Western thinkers from Plato to Wittgenstein. It demonstrates that the values and achievements of Chinese philosophers offer a gateway to understanding the development of Chinese views of humanity and reality. This volume enables students and general readers to understand the rich and challenging diversity of issues and positions explored in contemporary Chinese philosophy.