I feel Wang Yangming is a rare source from which one can derive a sense of individualism that often seems lacking in Chinese culture. And yes, when I started writing this article, I found it absolutely fascinating how his thoughts traveled and influenced so many different aspects of history across East Asia. Thanks for recommending shitsurae-japan
Thanks for a wonderfully informative tour. The New Confucian scholar Tu Weiming has interpreted the Confucian tradition in light of Wang Yangming and Mencius. Like his New Confucian mentors, he combines this lineage with a liberal democratic politics, which is such a contrast with Yomeigaku's adoption by militarists in Japan. Intellectual history has fascinating twists and turns as you have so well illustrated.
Thanks, Bill. I'm a big fan of Tu Weiming's book on Wang Yangming's youth. I believe his work is a rare piece that completely transcends the cliché narratives and self-help-style often associated with Wang Yangming today. I find it fascinating that even though Yangmingism was academically 'proven' to be compatible with democracy and modernization, in reality, it has acted more as an after-the-fact explainer rather than an actual driving force. It makes me wonder if it will ever truly become a driver in the mainland in the future.
The core difference between the two is that Zhu Xi's people need to be "shaped" before they can be free, while Wang Yangming's people are born with the foundation of freedom, and moral cultivation is nothing more than removing selfish desires that obscure conscience, rather than establishing a normative system from scratch. It is this difference that makes Yangming Confucianism invoke as a spiritual resource in history whenever there is an ideological liberation movement, while Cheng-Zhu Confucianism often cooperates with the established institutional order
Exactly. If we lived in an era where Wang Yangming's ideas were the widespread norm, people would likely perceive the entire Confucian tradition as having a completely different quality and sense of freedom.
I think Jesus practised 知行合, and it led to his death by crucifixion. He taught his followers to love their enemies, and serve one another. 知行合 could legitimise lots of different behaviour and outcomes. Just observing. And it seems a universal idea.
Ironically, during the late Ming dynasty, when Catholic Jesuits arrived in China, they actually found Wang Yangming and his theory of 'internal conscience' to be quite dangerous. To them, it felt uncomfortably similar to Zen Buddhism or even the rebellious Protestant movement.
Interesting read! Overall, just like the remarks you make about Nietzsche, Wang Yangming's ideas probably had little in common with Japanese militarism, which goes back to the Bushido. In that sense also, China does not have a militarist tradition, given the importance allocated to the educated intellectual.
Wang Yangming was actually a rare warrior-scholar. He was just as famous for crushing rebellions and commanding armies as he was for his philosophy. That’s likely the exact reason why Chiang Kai-shek promoted him so heavily. China has a historical tradition of elevating the scholar and marginalizing the soldier. That social consensus was fine in peacetime, but it was radically reevaluated every time the nation faced foreign invasions.
Thanks! I really learn a lot. Chinese language, culture and history are to me like an Ocean and I am able to swallow only one gulp at a time. It is so humbling but at the same time exciting to expand one's knowledge bit by bit.
Interesting! Your writing here reminds me of the posts of Takahiro, whom I first learned about Wang Yangming. https://www.shitsurae-japan.com/
I feel Wang Yangming is a rare source from which one can derive a sense of individualism that often seems lacking in Chinese culture. And yes, when I started writing this article, I found it absolutely fascinating how his thoughts traveled and influenced so many different aspects of history across East Asia. Thanks for recommending shitsurae-japan
Thanks for a wonderfully informative tour. The New Confucian scholar Tu Weiming has interpreted the Confucian tradition in light of Wang Yangming and Mencius. Like his New Confucian mentors, he combines this lineage with a liberal democratic politics, which is such a contrast with Yomeigaku's adoption by militarists in Japan. Intellectual history has fascinating twists and turns as you have so well illustrated.
Thanks, Bill. I'm a big fan of Tu Weiming's book on Wang Yangming's youth. I believe his work is a rare piece that completely transcends the cliché narratives and self-help-style often associated with Wang Yangming today. I find it fascinating that even though Yangmingism was academically 'proven' to be compatible with democracy and modernization, in reality, it has acted more as an after-the-fact explainer rather than an actual driving force. It makes me wonder if it will ever truly become a driver in the mainland in the future.
The core difference between the two is that Zhu Xi's people need to be "shaped" before they can be free, while Wang Yangming's people are born with the foundation of freedom, and moral cultivation is nothing more than removing selfish desires that obscure conscience, rather than establishing a normative system from scratch. It is this difference that makes Yangming Confucianism invoke as a spiritual resource in history whenever there is an ideological liberation movement, while Cheng-Zhu Confucianism often cooperates with the established institutional order
Exactly. If we lived in an era where Wang Yangming's ideas were the widespread norm, people would likely perceive the entire Confucian tradition as having a completely different quality and sense of freedom.
Interesting, thanks
I think Jesus practised 知行合, and it led to his death by crucifixion. He taught his followers to love their enemies, and serve one another. 知行合 could legitimise lots of different behaviour and outcomes. Just observing. And it seems a universal idea.
Ironically, during the late Ming dynasty, when Catholic Jesuits arrived in China, they actually found Wang Yangming and his theory of 'internal conscience' to be quite dangerous. To them, it felt uncomfortably similar to Zen Buddhism or even the rebellious Protestant movement.
Interesting!
Thank you. This was briliant.
Very interesting. Thanks 🙏
Interesting read! Overall, just like the remarks you make about Nietzsche, Wang Yangming's ideas probably had little in common with Japanese militarism, which goes back to the Bushido. In that sense also, China does not have a militarist tradition, given the importance allocated to the educated intellectual.
Wang Yangming was actually a rare warrior-scholar. He was just as famous for crushing rebellions and commanding armies as he was for his philosophy. That’s likely the exact reason why Chiang Kai-shek promoted him so heavily. China has a historical tradition of elevating the scholar and marginalizing the soldier. That social consensus was fine in peacetime, but it was radically reevaluated every time the nation faced foreign invasions.
Thanks! I really learn a lot. Chinese language, culture and history are to me like an Ocean and I am able to swallow only one gulp at a time. It is so humbling but at the same time exciting to expand one's knowledge bit by bit.
Well...that was educational.
Excellent overview of the travels of Wang Yangming's thoughts. Another brilliant article, thank you, Jingyu!
Fascinating. Are all philosophies extolling "goodness" destined to sink into autocracy and rampage?