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Beyond the Troubled Water of Shifei

Beyond the Troubled Water of Shifei

By Ma, Lin, van Brakel, Jaap

Published by State University of New York Press

English 310 pages 2019
Estimated reading time: 5 h 41 min
PDF

About this book

Offers the first focused study of the shifei debates of the Warring States period in ancient China and challenges the imposition of Western conceptual categories onto these debates. In recent decades, a growing concern in studies in Chinese intellectual history is that Chinese classics have been forced into systems of classification prevalent in Western philosophy and thus imperceptibly transformed into examples that echo Western philosophy. Lin Ma and Jaap van Brakel offer a methodology to counter this approach, and illustrate their method by carrying out a transcultural inquiry into the complexities involved in understanding shi and fei and their cognate phrases in the Warring States texts, the Zhuangzi in particular. The authors discuss important features of Zhuangzi's stance with regard to language-meaning, knowledge-doubt, questioning, equalizing, and his well-known deconstruction of the discourse in ancient China on shifei. Ma and van Brakel suggest that shi and fei apply to both descriptive and prescriptive languages and do not presuppose any fact/value dichotomy, and thus cannot be translated as either true/false or right/wrong. Instead, shi and fei can be grasped in terms of a pre-philosophical notion of fitting. Ma and van Brakel also highlight Zhuangzi's idea of "walking-two-roads" as the most significant component of his stance. In addition, they argue that all of Zhuangzi's positive recommendations are presented in a language whose meaning is not fixed and that every stance he is committed to remains subject to fundamental questioning as a way of life.

Availability

Beyond the Troubled Water of Shifei is available as PDF at 9 online bookshops. Bookshops carrying it include Bajalibros Argentina, Bajalibros Latam, Bookshop Uruguay.

Language
English
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Frequently asked questions

In what formats is Beyond the Troubled Water of Shifei available?
Beyond the Troubled Water of Shifei is available as PDF at 9 online bookshops.
Where can I buy Beyond the Troubled Water of Shifei?
You can buy Beyond the Troubled Water of Shifei at Bajalibros Argentina, Bajalibros Latam, Bookshop Uruguay. Compare every option in the list on this page.
How long does it take to read Beyond the Troubled Water of Shifei?
At an average reading pace, Beyond the Troubled Water of Shifei takes about 5 h 41 min to read (310 pages).

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