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11Chinese PhilosophersIn Robert L. Arrington (ed.), A Companion to the Philosophers, Blackwell. 2017.Some of the authors of the essays on Chinese philosophers prefer the pin yin system of romanization for Chinese names and words, while others prefer the Wade‐Giles system. Given that both systems are in wide use today, important names and words are given in both their pin yin and Wade‐Giles formulations. The author's preference is printed first, followed by the alternative romanization within brackets.
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7Chinese Confucianism and DaoismIn Charles Taliaferro, Paul Draper & Philip L. Quinn (eds.), A Companion to Philosophy of Religion, Wiley‐blackwell. 2010.This chapter contains sections titled: The Problem of Definition Problems of Interpretation Nature and Convention Transcendence Death and the Afterlife Problems of Evil Fatalism and Free Will? Divine Command Theory Piety and Divine Simplicity Works cited.
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33. The Relatively Happy FishIn Roger T. Ames & Takahiro Nakajima (eds.), Zhuangzi and the Happy Fish, University of Hawaii Press. pp. 50-77. 2017.
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16Tao Te Ching: On the Art of Harmony: The New Illustrated Edition of the Chinese Philosophical MasterpieceDuncan Baird Publishers. 2009.Although written more than 2,500 years ago and within a radically different culture, the Tao Te Ching's concepts and teachings have become more influential in the West than ever before. Laozi, the Chinese sage and founder of Taoism, sets out a path (tao) that allows us to tune in to the nature of the universe. His axioms are intended to help us achieve transcendence and a life of integrity and balance: they explore the importance of male and female complementary qualities while praising self-kno…Read more
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6Herbert Fingarette, Confucius: The Secular as Sacred, Harper Torch-books, 84 pp., 1972, $ 1.95Journal of Chinese Philosophy 3 (2): 197-204. 1976.
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16Hsün Yüeh : The Life and Reflections of an Early Medieval ConfucianHsun Yueh : The Life and Reflections of an Early Medieval Confucian (review)Journal of the American Oriental Society 101 (3): 388. 1981.
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Language in the heart-mindIn Robert Elliott Allinson (ed.), Understanding the Chinese Mind: The Philosophical Roots, Oxford University Press. pp. 75--124. 1989.
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94Mass nouns and "a white horse is not a horse"Philosophy East and West 26 (2): 189-209. 1976.The most famous paradox in chinese philosophy, Kung-Sun lung's "white horse not horse" has been taken as evidence of platonism, Aristotelian essentialism, Class logic, Etc., In ancient chinese thought. I argue that a nominalistic interpretation utilizing the notion of "stuffs" (mass objects) is a more plausible explanation of the dialogue. It is more coherent internally, More consistent with kung-Sun lung's other dialogues, And the tradition of chinese thought which is usually regarded as nomina…Read more
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108The relatively happy fishAsian Philosophy 13 (2 & 3). 2003.Zhuangzi and Hui Shi's discussion about whether Zhuangzi knows 'fish's happiness' is a Daoist staple. The interpretations, however, portray it as humorous miscommunication between a mystic and a logician. I argue for a fine inferential analysis that explains the argument in a way that informs Zhuangzi philosophical lament at Hui Shi's passing. It also reverses the dominant image of the two thinkers. Zhuangzi emerges as the superior dialectician, the clearer, more analytic epistemologist. Hui Shi…Read more
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11Review of Mencius and Early Chinese Thought by Kwong-Loi Shun (review)Philosophy East and West 49 (2): 207-209. 1999.
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2Individualism in Chinese thoughtIn Donald J. Munro (ed.), Individualism and holism: studies in Confucian and Taoist values, Center For Chinese Studies, University of Michigan. pp. 35--56. 1985.
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73Washing the dust from my mirror: The deconstruction of buddhism—a response to Bronwyn finniganPhilosophy East and West 61 (1): 160-174. 2011.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 contributed important dialectical steps leading to the formulation of Zen, which I join t…Read more
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81Prolegomena to future solutions to "white-horse not horse"Journal of Chinese Philosophy 34 (4). 2007.
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99Freedom and moral responsibility in confucian ethicsPhilosophy East and West 22 (2): 169-186. 1972.Confucian moral philosophy doesn't seem to provide a theory of excuses. I explore an explanatory hypothesis to explain how excuse conditions might be built into the Confucian doctrine of rectifying names. In the process, I address the issue of the motivation for the theory. The hypothesis is that the theory provides not only excuse conditions, but also exception and conflict resolution roles for an essentially positive morality rooted in the traditional code of 禮 li/ritual, transmitted from the …Read more
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31Reading with understanding: Interpretive method in Chinese philosophyDao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy 4 (2): 341-346. 2005.Sinologists tend toward self-descriptions of their methodology that suggests that they read ancient Chinese Philosophy texts and then interpret them as separate steps. The "reading" is what training in the language is supposed to enable and interpreters who are skeptical of traditional readings (e.g. the present author) can be portrayed as people who have not learned (or not learned properly) how to read. I argue here that reading in its natural sense in this context presupposes understanding, t…Read more
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58Qing (Emotions) fjf in Pre-3uddhist Chinese ThoughtIn Roger Ames, Robert C. Solomon & Joel Marks (eds.), Emotions in Asian Thought: A Dialogue in Comparative Philosophy, Suny Press. pp. 181. 1995.
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107Fa (standards: Laws) and meaning changes in chinese philosophyPhilosophy East and West 44 (3): 435-488. 1994.Argues that throughout the classical period in China, the word `fa' consistently means measurable, publicly accessible standards for the application of terms used in behavioral guidance. Review of the Daoist analysis of the meaning of fa; Original philosophical role of fa; Detail of Chinese philosopher Han Feizi's theories on the legal use of the term `fa.'
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21Desultory Notes on Language and Semantics in Ancient ChinaLanguage and Logic in Ancient ChinaJournal of the American Oriental Society 105 (2): 309. 1985.
Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Areas of Specialization
Philosophy of Law |
Asian Philosophy |
Areas of Interest
Epistemology |
Philosophy of Language |
Meta-Ethics |
Asian Philosophy |