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'The writing is clear and articulate, and the discussion, while focusing on philosophical ideas, is sensitive to textual compexities such as the authorship of different layers of a text. The book should be a very useful textbook in any undergraduate course on Chinese philosophy.' Kwong-Loi Shun, Chinese University of Hong Kong
'A clear, fluent, well-argued and well-organized presentation of core ideas and main positions in Classical Chinese Philosophy, highly readable and quite stimulating for any student interested in Chinese humanities. It is to be specifically recommended for a solid introductory course in Chinese philosophy.' Chung-ying Cheng, Journal of Chinese Philosophy
'A clear, fluent, well-argued and well-organized presentation of core ideas and main positions in Classical Chinese Philosophy, highly readable and quite stimulating for any student interested in Chinese humanities. It is to be specifically recommended for a solid introductory course in Chinese philosophy.' Chung-ying Cheng, Journal of Chinese Philosophy
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This comprehensive introductory textbook to early Chinese philosophy covers a range of philosophical traditions which arose during the Spring and Autumn (722–476 BCE) and Warring States (475–221 BCE) periods in China, including Confucianism, Mohism, Daoism, and Legalism. It considers concepts, themes and argumentative methods of early Chinese philosophy and follows the development of some ideas in subsequent periods, including the introduction of Buddhism into China. The book examines key issues and debates in early Chinese philosophy, cross-influences between its traditions and interpretations by scholars up to the present day. The discussion draws upon both primary texts and secondary sources, and there are suggestions for further reading. This will be an invaluable guide for all who are interested in the foundations of Chinese philosophy and its richness and continuing relevance.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a scholarly work, referenced, footnoted, with a bibliography, suggestions for further reading and an extensive glossary, covering the subject from before Confucius and up to Chinese Buddhism. Exhaustive and reliable, the book is recommended for undergraduate study, but, at the same time, it is accessible to any serious reader who has some knowledge of philosophical thought and an interest in China historically and today. The language is clear, as the study, covering many centuries of thought, flows smoothly from antiquity to more modern times. The preoccupations of earlier Chinese thinkers provokes the modern reader to assess his/her own attitudes to the self and the individual's relationship to modern politics and society. Thai Dreamings: Australian Aboriginal Inspirations in the Paintings of Kitti Narod
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Provocative!
26 Mar 2011
Format:Paperback
This is a review of An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy by Karyn L. Lai.
Since Chinese philosophy has at least a 2,500 year history, it is not surprising (nor is it a weakness) that Lai's book does not cover all of it in its 307 pages. It focuses on pre-Qin philosophy (551-221 BCE, the period covering Confucius through Han Feizi), but also discusses the Yijing (I Ching), a work that only became philosophically influential during the Han dynasty (202 BCE - 220 CE), and concludes with some discussion of Chinese Buddhism. There are many things to commend about this book. Lai's writing style is direct and unpretentious, very suitable for the general reader and scholar alike. Furthermore, Lai includes a discussion of the School of Names and the Neo-Mohists, who are often ignored even though their paradoxical arguments are intriguing and well worth study.
But while there is impressively detailed coverage of some topics, others get more short shrift than they deserve. For example, Mencius had an immense influence on the later development of Chinese thought, particular in Neo-Confucianism. He has also been extensively discussed by contemporary philosophers. (There are two anthologies of secondary essays on him in English.) However, a mere five pages in the book are devoted exclusively to him (36-40), followed by a smattering of passing references.
In addition, some readers may be disappointed that the book is so reliant on other secondary sources. In the four and a half page discussion of Hua Yan Buddhism, Yu-lan Fung's A History of Chinese Philosophy is cited ten times. Other chapters frequently cite A.C. Graham's Disputers of the Tao: Philosophical Argument in Ancient China, Benjamin Schwartz's The World of Thought in Ancient China, and Hu Shih's The development of the logical method in ancient China. This heavy reliance on other histories sometimes gives the book the feel of a survey of the secondary literature, rather than a work of independent scholarship. The author's choices about which secondary works to trust might also be questioned. Hu Shih's study of ancient Chinese "logical method" came out in 1928, while Fung's history was originally published in 1934. Both works are historically influential, but very out of date. This sometimes leads to unfortunate misinterpretations, as when Lai suggests that scholars "commonly" interpret Gongsun Long's white horse paradox "in terms of abstract universals" (119). This Platonistic interpretation was defended by Fung more than four score years ago, but no knowledgeable contemporary historian would agree. In fact, Graham presented a nominalist interpretation of the white horse paradox as far back as his classic 1964 paper, "A First Reading of the 'White Horse'" (reprinted in Studies in Chinese Philosophy and Philosophical Literature (Suny Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture)). (The author mistakenly attributes the development of this nominalist interpretation to another philosopher.) Finally, there are a few factual errors in this book. It is simply not true that "Wang Bi's interpretation [of the Daodejing] was influential during the Warring States Period and thereafter" (72), because Wang Bi lived four hundred years after the Warring States period ended.
I do not want to overemphasize the limitations of this book, though. The informed reader who picks up Lai's book will find man provocative suggestions to think about.
Since Chinese philosophy has at least a 2,500 year history, it is not surprising (nor is it a weakness) that Lai's book does not cover all of it in its 307 pages. It focuses on pre-Qin philosophy (551-221 BCE, the period covering Confucius through Han Feizi), but also discusses the Yijing (I Ching), a work that only became philosophically influential during the Han dynasty (202 BCE - 220 CE), and concludes with some discussion of Chinese Buddhism. There are many things to commend about this book. Lai's writing style is direct and unpretentious, very suitable for the general reader and scholar alike. Furthermore, Lai includes a discussion of the School of Names and the Neo-Mohists, who are often ignored even though their paradoxical arguments are intriguing and well worth study.
But while there is impressively detailed coverage of some topics, others get more short shrift than they deserve. For example, Mencius had an immense influence on the later development of Chinese thought, particular in Neo-Confucianism. He has also been extensively discussed by contemporary philosophers. (There are two anthologies of secondary essays on him in English.) However, a mere five pages in the book are devoted exclusively to him (36-40), followed by a smattering of passing references.
In addition, some readers may be disappointed that the book is so reliant on other secondary sources. In the four and a half page discussion of Hua Yan Buddhism, Yu-lan Fung's A History of Chinese Philosophy is cited ten times. Other chapters frequently cite A.C. Graham's Disputers of the Tao: Philosophical Argument in Ancient China, Benjamin Schwartz's The World of Thought in Ancient China, and Hu Shih's The development of the logical method in ancient China. This heavy reliance on other histories sometimes gives the book the feel of a survey of the secondary literature, rather than a work of independent scholarship. The author's choices about which secondary works to trust might also be questioned. Hu Shih's study of ancient Chinese "logical method" came out in 1928, while Fung's history was originally published in 1934. Both works are historically influential, but very out of date. This sometimes leads to unfortunate misinterpretations, as when Lai suggests that scholars "commonly" interpret Gongsun Long's white horse paradox "in terms of abstract universals" (119). This Platonistic interpretation was defended by Fung more than four score years ago, but no knowledgeable contemporary historian would agree. In fact, Graham presented a nominalist interpretation of the white horse paradox as far back as his classic 1964 paper, "A First Reading of the 'White Horse'" (reprinted in Studies in Chinese Philosophy and Philosophical Literature (Suny Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture)). (The author mistakenly attributes the development of this nominalist interpretation to another philosopher.) Finally, there are a few factual errors in this book. It is simply not true that "Wang Bi's interpretation [of the Daodejing] was influential during the Warring States Period and thereafter" (72), because Wang Bi lived four hundred years after the Warring States period ended.
I do not want to overemphasize the limitations of this book, though. The informed reader who picks up Lai's book will find man provocative suggestions to think about.
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