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This book provides an analysis of the complex philosophy of Liang Shuming. This twentieth-century thinker opened up a number of paths that were to become central components of modern Chinese philosophy. For the first time, experts are brought together to analyze the complexity of his philosophy, which continues to exert a considerable influence today. This edited volume covers Liang's multifaceted thought as informed by his many identities as a Buddhist, a Confucian, a Bergsonian, a rural reformer, and a philosopher. The volume will appeal to students, scholars, and general-interest readers.
List of contents
1. Introduction.- 2. LIANG Shuming: A Life.- 3. Liang the Buddhist.- 4. Liang the Bergsonian.- 5. Liang the Philosopher of Culture.- 6. Liang the Philosopher of Religion.- 7. Liang the Philosopher of Living: On the Counter-Enlightenment Thought of LIANG Shuming During the 1920s.- 8. Liang the Rural Reformer.- 9. Liang the Moral and Social Philosopher.- 10. Liang the Political Philosopher: Contemplating Confucianism and Democracy in Republican China.- 11. Liang under Mao: The Reconciliation of Confucianism and Buddhism with Marxist Ideology.- 12. LIANG Shuming's Legacy in Hong Kong and Taiwan Since 1949: Liang's Philosophical Connection with TANG Junyi.- 13. LIANG Shuming's Reception in Mainland China Since the 1980s.- 14. The Many Faces of LIANG Shuming: One Hundred Years in the Reception of Liang's Thought in European Languages (1922-2022).
About the author
Thierry Meynard is Doctor in Chinese Philosophy from Peking University with a thesis on the religious thought of Liang Shuming (2003), published in English as
The Religious Philosophy of Liang Shuming (2010). Since 2006, he is professor of philosophy at Sun Yat-sen University, China. He is also director of the Archives for the Introduction of Western Learning, and the executive director of the Research Center on Canton and international exchanges.
Philippe Major is a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for European Global Studies of the University of Basel. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from the National University of Singapore, where he wrote his thesis on modern Confucianism in Republican China, and an MA in History from National Taiwan University. Situated in the fields of modern Chinese philosophy and modern Chinese intellectual history, his work focuses on the issues of the politics of tradition and antitradition, textual authority, and epistemic hegemony.
Report
"The companion renders a fascinating text that is recommended for any enthusiasts of Chinese political modernity, especially for those who revel in texts catering to comparative studies of East Asian religions and philosophies." (Lehel Balogh, Religious Studies Review, Vol. 49 (3), September, 2023)
"The chapters in this volume should serve as a 'companion' and guide by informing the student and relatively uninformed reader about various aspects of the Zhuangzi as we have described above, including the different styles and methods of approaching it. Together, they offer an appreciation of, and insights into, a complex and fascinating text with many different layers of meaning. ... The more specialized readers should find the contents of ... the chapters to be original and engaging." (Kim-chong Chong, Scriptable, rtreview.org, Issue 114, September, 2023)
