Shizi : China's First Syncretist.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Fischer, Paul.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shi, Jiao, approximately 390 B.C.-approximately 330 B.C. Shizi.

Shi, Jiao.

Intellectual life--History.

Intellectual life.

Philosophy, Chinese.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Columbia University Press, [2012]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

By blending multiple strands of thought into one ideology, Chinese Syncretists of the pre-imperial period created an essential guide to contemporary ideas about self, society, and government. Merging traditions such as Ruism, Mohism, Daoism, Legalism, and Yin-Yang naturalism into their work, Syncretists created an integrated intellectual approach that contrasts with other, more specific philosophies. Presenting the first full English translation of the earliest example of a Syncretist text, this volume introduces Western scholars to both the brilliance of the syncretic method and a critical work of Chinese leadership.Written by Shi Jiao, China's first syncretic thinker, during the Warring States Period of 481 to 221 BCE, Shizi is similar to Machiavelli's The Prince in that it dispenses wisdom to would-be rulers. It stresses the need for leaders to be detached and objective. It further encourages self-cultivation and effective government, recommending that rulers maintain self-discipline, hire reliable people, delegate power transparently, and promote others in an orderly fashion. The people, it is argued, will emulate their leader's wisdom and virtue, and a just and peaceful state will result. Paul Fischer provides an extensive introduction and a chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis of the text-outlining the importance of syncretism in Chinese culture-and explores the text's particular features, authorship, transmission, loss, and reconstruction over time. The Shizi set the stage for a long history of syncretic endeavor in China, and its study provides insight into the vital traditions of early Chinese philosophy. It is also a template for interpreting other well-known works, such as the Confucian Analects, the Daoist Laozi, the Mohist Mozi, and the Legalist Shang jun shu.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Introduction

Content

Transmission

Key Terms

Annotated Translation

1. Exhortation to Learn (Quan xue )

2. Honoring Words [of Good Advice] (Gui yan )

3. Four Kinds of Proper Conduct (Si yi )

4. The Enlightenment Hall (Ming tang )

5. Allocation (Fen )

6. Emerging from Delusion (Fa meng )

7. Considerateness (Shu )

8. Governing the World (Zhi tianxia )

9. Good Intentions (Ren yi )

10. Broad-mindedness (Guang )

11. Generous Fellows (Chuo zi )

12. Dwelling in the Way (Chu dao )

13. Spiritous Enlightenment (Shen ming )

14. Stopping the Chu Army (Zhi Chu shi )

15. The Ruler's Governance (Jun zhi )

Fragments (Yi wen )

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 08. Jul 2019)

ISBN:

9780231533577

0231533578

9780231504171

0231504179

OCLC:

979753563