Introduction to Chinese Philosophy
THIEL COLLEGE
Fall 2012
Phil 227-01
Room: AC 40
Course Time: T/Th 11 – 12:20
Professor: Dr. Matthew Morgan
Email: mmorgan@thiel.edu
Office:
PC 106
Office Hours:
MWF 9-10:00am
Course Description
That East Asia is a major player on the global stage is no
longer news. Thus, for practical, if not ethical reasons,
expanding your knowledge of this region makes good sense.
Because this society may seem quite foreign, this course will
dramatically expand your intercultural horizons. No
knowledge of Asian language, culture or thought will be
presumed, yet, by the end, you will know something of the
East’s philosophical foundations, its cultural milieu, and will
make progress in giving this extraordinary civilization (and
emerging superpower) its due respect.
We will begin in a descriptive mode, but then transition into a
stance asking you to evaluate the positions advocated by
Confucian philosophy, Daoist thought, and Buddhist insights.
This course introduces philosophical traditions that are substantially different from Western thought.
Confucianism and Daoism are nearly as ancient as Greek philosophy, yet developed from the independent,
concurrent civilization of the East. Arguably, philosophy fully develops only in the presence of a sophisticated
culture. Such a degree of social complexity was ready at hand in China. Out of the succession of historical
states, the evolution of Confucianism and Daoism remains a fundamental element of Asiatic thought; however,
from India, a new religion and philosophy emerged to play a substantial role in the East- Buddhism.
Discovering how Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism each argue for their systems of values regarding ethics,
our individual and social identities, aesthetics, and metaphysics, defines the a primary objective of this course.
To assist our exploration, we will spend approximately three weeks establishing some background in the
cultural history of China. Philosophy, metaphorically speaking, participates in a dance with its partner
humanities, sometimes leading, following, or acting in concert with language, the arts (literature, drawing,
poetry, even architecture), religion, historical knowledge, and politics. While we will concentrate, at the outset,
on these contextual dimensions, throughout the whole of the semester I will provide supplemental material
allowing us to further explore particular works of art, acts of religiosity, and historical developments that will
highlight the fluidity present in these disciplines. This will exemplify that learning about Eastern philosophy
also serves to deepen our understanding of Eastern culture in a broad sense.
Texts:
Dao De Jing, Laozi, Translated by Roger Ames (Ballantine 2003)
The Analects of Confucius, Translated by Burton Watson (Columbia University Press 2007)
Zhuangzi Translated by Burton Watson (Columbia University Press 2003)
Vimalakirti Sutra, online source Translated by Robert Thurman
The Essence of the Heart Sutra, by the Dalai Lama, Translated by Yeshe Thupten Jinpa (Wisdom Pub. 2005)*
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Course Objectives:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Acquire familiarity with major tenets of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism.
Introduce philosophical questioning as part of the active life of an educated mind.
Become acquainted with some of the cultural history and humanities of China.
Establish the difference between religious convictions, philosophical conclusions, and scientific
practice.
5. Provide a forum for open-ended critical thinking, centered on philosophical topics, but
transferrable to many of life’s challenges.
6. Practice analytical writing and public speaking skills through
Grading Structure:
 Grading Scale:
A= 90-100% B= 80-89% C= 70-79% D= 60-69% F= 0-59%
 10% Attendance and Participation. Attendance is important due to the communicative and participatory
ideals of philosophy. To this end, you need to be both in class and participate, especially after presentations.
 20% Essay on Confucius.
 15% Poem-Art Presentation: Joint project where an explanation of a Laozi poem is assisted by an artwork.
 15% Translation: Using the multiple translations of the Dao De Jing on reserve in the Langenheim Library,
develop your own translation of a Laozi poem.
 20% Application: A Daoist, Confucian, and a Buddhist walk into a bar… and have to respond to an ethical
case study! In groups of two, you will formulate and present a thematic response to an assigned case study.
 20% Essay on Buddhism. In what areas do you find your strongest attachments and desires? In what ways
would Buddhist philosophy prompt you to address these attachments/desires? How do you plan in fact (or
hypothetically speaking) to address these desires, and what do you expect will happen as a result?
 5% Bonus Memorization- Choose to memorize and recite either a Daoist poem or the Heart Sutra. These
were oral traditions, initially, so this exercise may assist in learning about what these traditions were like.
Expectations of the student and policies of the instructor:
1. I expect the student to have read and analyzed the material assigned for each class. This involves taking
notes of the material both in the text, during lectures, and during in-class discussions.
2. Presentation of particularly perplexing paradoxes found in the arguments under consideration.
3. Turning essays in when due, and making scheduled presentation dates is critical! Exceptions will
only be made if substantive evidence is offered to the instructor indicating a the impossibility of turning
in an essay or giving the presentation. Any make-up entails at least a drop of one grade on the exam. If
a student is absent for more than six class sessions, the instructor will reserve and generally
exercise the right to issue a failing grade.
4. Lapses in academic honor (plagiarism, cheating, etc.) are subject to policies outlined by Thiel College.
Read the Academic Honor Code at the end of this syllabus and ask if you have questions on what
constitutes illegitimate copying.
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Schedule:
Week 1: Western and Eastern Philosophy
Discuss historical context and situations that led to the schism between the two schools of thought. Does the
schism still exist, as defined by Western tradition, Eastern tradition?
The relation and separation of religion and philosophy in West and East.
To understand the religious dimension of Daoism or Confucianism it helps to know the philosophy. To
understand the philosophy, knowledge of the religious dimension is less essential…
Week 2: Indigenous Chinese Thought- Primer on history, geography, language, and culture of Chinese
civilization. Philosophical development as a by-product of luxury and a normative emphasis on education. 100
Schools and Warring States. Concept: Dao (Broad sense)
Week 3: Confucius. Analects, Books 1-2 Concepts: Hsiao (filial piety), Li (ritual)
Role of Five Classics and the myths of Golden Ages. Calligraphy.
Week 4: Confucius. Analects, Books 3-4 Concepts: Ren (Virtue/Goodness), De (moral strength)
Confucian art- ancestor scrolls, literati painting (Shen Zhou)
Week 5: Confucius. Analects, Books 5-10 Concepts: Junzi (sage), Shih, Tien (heaven), Wang (king).
Discussion: “Mandate of Heaven” and the Civil Service Exam system.
Week 6: Laozi. Dao De Jing, Chapters 1-20 Concepts: Shui (water), Shih (stones), Shan (mountain), Jiang
(river); Essay on Confucius Due.
Week 7: Laozi. Dao De Jing, Chapters 21-58 Concepts: Wu Wei, Yin Yang; Discussion: Holistic view of nature
and bases for Eastern environmental, gender ethics. For five points extra credit, memorize one poem.
Week 8: Laozi. Finish Dao De Ching. Concepts: Temperance, Harmony, and Change (jing), Hyle (qi), Oneness
Discussion: Landscape Paintings: Guo Xi Early Spring. Shan Shui painting.
Week 9: Zhuangzi. Inner Books- Chapters 1-7. K’un, P’eng and the question of Relativism (handout on Zeno,
Heraclitus)
Week 10: Buddhism. Read the Vimalakirti Sutra. Interdependence, harmonious, discordant. Eudaimonia –
happiness, liberation and tranquility. Basic Concepts: Noble truths (as an argument?). Discussion on attempts
to divide the religious from the philosophical in Buddhism.
Week 11: Buddhism. Read the Heart Sutra. For five points extra credit, memorize it. Discussion of the
Vimalakirti Sutra. Concepts: Buddhist epistemology (how we/I know things), Karma
Week 12: Buddhism. Discussion of the Heart Sutra. Concepts: Dharmas- dukkha, anatta, anatman. Linji
Yixuan and Buddha-cide.
FINAL EXAM: Paper on Buddhism due on the day of the scheduled final exam.