Faculty of Arts
& Humanities
Department of Philosophy
CODE Title Introduction to Chinese Philosophy
Syllabus – Academic year 2017/18
Basic information
Credits: 15
Module Lecturer: Prof. Michael Beaney
Office:
Consultation time:
Semester: 2
Lecture time and venue*:
*Please note that tutorial times and venues will be organised independently with your teaching tutor
Module description (plus aims and objectives)
This course is intended as an introduction to ancient Chinese philosophy, offering an overview of its main schools and exploring
some of its main themes. One of our aims will be to demonstrate the relevance of an understanding of ancient Chinese
philosophy to contemporary Western philosophy.
Assessment methods and deadlines
Summative assessment: Two 2,000-word essays (50% each) submitted in April
Formative Assessment: One 2,000-word essay
Outline of lecture topics (plus suggested readings)
The two key texts for the course are the ones starred in what follows, one a collection of basic readings, the other an
introductory textbook. Other suggestions for reading are also given.
Collections of Primary Texts
Chan, Wing-tsit, (ed.), 1963, A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy, Princeton University Press
*Ivanhoe, Philip J. and Bryan W. Van Norden, (eds.), 2005, Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, 2nd edn., Hackett
Histories of Chinese Philosophy
1
Fung, Yu-lan, 1952 [1937], A History of Chinese Philosophy, Vol. I, tr. Derk Bodde, Princeton University Press; first edn. 1937
____, 1948, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, ed. Derk Bodde, New York: The Free Press
Graham, A. C., 1989, Disputers of the Tao, Chicago: Open Court
Hansen, Chad, 1992, A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought, Oxford University Press
Mou, Bo, (ed.), 2009, History of Chinese Philosophy, Routledge
Introductions to Chinese Philosophy
Lai, Karyn L., 2008, An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy, Cambridge University Press
Mou, Bo, 2009, Chinese Philosophy A–Z, Edinburgh University Press
*Van Norden, Bryan W., 2011, Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy, Hackett
Plan
1 Introduction: What is Chinese Philosophy?
*Ivanhoe and Van Norden, (eds.), Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, ‘Introduction’
Fung, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, chs. 1–3
Graham, Disputers of the Tao, ‘Introduction’
Hansen, A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought, ch. 1
Lai, An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy, ch. 1
Mou, (ed.), History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 1
*Van Norden, Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy, ch. 1; App. A
2 Introduction: Chinese Philosophy and the Chinese Language
Graham, ‘The Relation of Chinese Thought to Chinese Language’, in Disputers of the Tao, App. 2 (pp. 389–428)
Hansen, 1987, ‘Classical Chinese Philosophy as Linguistic Analysis’, Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 14: 309–30
____, A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought, ch. 2
Harbsmeier, Christoph, 1998, Science and Civilisation in China, Vol. 7, Part I: Language and Logic, Cambridge University Press
Mou, (ed.), History of Chinese Philosophy, introduction
Rosemont, Henry, 2015, ‘Translating and Interpreting Chinese Philosophy’, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
plato.stanford.edu/entries/chinese-translate-interpret/
*Van Norden, Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy, App. B
3 Confucius
*Ivanhoe and Van Norden, (eds.), Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, ch. 1
Fung, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 4
Graham, Disputers of the Tao, Part I, ch. 1
Hansen, A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought, ch. 3
Lai, An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy, ch. 2
Mou, (ed.), History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 3
*Van Norden, Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy, chs. 2–3; App. C
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4 Mozi
*Ivanhoe and Van Norden, (eds.), Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, ch. 2
Fung, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 5
Graham, Disputers of the Tao, Part I, ch. 2
Hansen, A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought, ch. 4
Lai, An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy, ch. 4
Mou, (ed.), History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 4
*Van Norden, Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy, ch. 4
5 Mencius
*Ivanhoe and Van Norden, (eds.), Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, ch. 3
Fung, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 7
Graham, Disputers of the Tao, Part II, ch. 1
Hansen, A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought, ch. 5
Lai, An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy, ch. 3, pp. 36–40
Mou, (ed.), History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 6, pp. 189–96
*Van Norden, Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy, ch. 6
6 Yang Zhu, Laozi and Early Daoism
*Ivanhoe and Van Norden, (eds.), Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, ch. 4; pp. 369–75
Fung, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, chs. 6, 9
Graham, Disputers of the Tao, Part I, ch. 3; Part III, ch. 1
Hansen, A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought, ch. 6
Lai, An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy, chs. 5–6
Mou, (ed.), History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 7
*Van Norden, Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy, chs. 5, 8
7 Neo-Mohism and the School of Names
*Ivanhoe and Van Norden, (eds.), Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, pp. 363–8
Fraser, Chris, 2015, ‘School of Names’, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: plato.stanford.edu/entries/school-names
Fung, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, chs. 8, 11
Graham, Disputers of the Tao, Part I, ch. 5; Part II, ch. 2
Hansen, A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought, ch. 7
Lai, An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy, ch. 7
Mou, (ed.), History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 5
*Van Norden, Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy, ch. 7
8 Zhuangzi
*Ivanhoe and Van Norden, (eds.), Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, ch. 5
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Fung, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 10
Graham, Disputers of the Tao, Part II, ch. 3
Hansen, A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought, ch. 8
Lai, An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy, ch. 8
Mou, (ed.), History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 8
*Van Norden, Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy, ch. 9
9 Xunzi
*Ivanhoe and Van Norden, (eds.), Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, ch. 6
Fung, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 13
Graham, Disputers of the Tao, Part III, ch. 2
Hansen, A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought, ch. 9
Lai, An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy, ch. 3, pp. 40–54
Mou, (ed.), History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 6, pp. 196–206
*Van Norden, Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy, ch. 10
10 Legalism
*Ivanhoe and Van Norden, (eds.), Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, ch. 7
Fung, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 14
Graham, Disputers of the Tao, Part III, ch. 3
Hansen, A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought, ch. 10
Lai, An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy, ch. 9
Mou, (ed.), History of Chinese Philosophy, ch. 6, pp. 207–8
*Van Norden, Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy, ch. 11
Suggested essay questions
Suggested additional readings
Included above
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