Philosophy Program Presents
Philosophical Naturalism in the Han Dynasty
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Olin Humanities, Room 102
4:45 pm – 6:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
4:45 pm – 6:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Alexus McLeod, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Asian/Asian-American Studies, University of Connecticut
The Han period (206 BCE – 220 CE) of early China has been relatively neglected by philosophers (in comparison to the pre-Han "Warring States" period), but it is nonetheless present in our interpretation of Pre-Han texts. I argue here that common interpretations by philosophers of concepts such as tian (heaven, nature) and dao (way) in Pre-Han texts owe much more to Han understandings than to those of Pre-Han thinkers. Some have argued for the dominance of a kind of naturalist worldview in early China. I argue that insofar as there is such a dominant view, it is found primarily in the Han rather than before the Han. The “classical” Pre-Han texts for the most part offer various non-naturalist understandings of the core concepts in question. We can take at least two lessons from this: 1) those interested in locating naturalist thought in early China should look to Han and post-Han rather than to Pre-Han texts; and 2) we should reconsider the dominant philosophical interpretations of the Pre-Han Chinese tradition.For more information, call 845-758-7280, or e-mail [email protected].
Time: 4:45 pm – 6:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Location: Olin Humanities, Room 102