Dawid Rogacz
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Institute of Philosophy, Faculty Member
- Doctor of Philosophy andd Assistant Professor in Asian Philosophy at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (Poland). ... moreDoctor of Philosophy andd Assistant Professor in Asian Philosophy at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (Poland).
FULL TEXTS AVAILABLE at personal website: rogacz.home.amu.edu.pl.
Principal Investigator of National Science Centre Project "Philosophical views of history and historiography in nineteenth- and twentieth-century China" and PI of National Program for the Development of Humanities Project "Polish translation and critical edition of the 'Balanced Essays' (Lunheng) of Wang Chong". Co-editor of the three-volume encyclopedia of Chinese philosophy: "Chinese Philosophy and its Thinkers: From Ancient Times to the Present Day", to be published with Bloomsbury in 2024. Interested in Chinese philosophy, philosophy of history, and philosophy of religion.edit
Challenging the Eurocentric misconception that the philosophy of history is a Western invention, this book reconstructs Chinese thought and offers the first systematic treatment of classical Chinese philosophy of history. Dawid Rogacz... more
Challenging the Eurocentric misconception that the philosophy of history is a Western invention, this book reconstructs Chinese thought and offers the first systematic treatment of classical Chinese philosophy of history.
Dawid Rogacz charts the development from pre-imperial Confucian philosophy of history, the Warring States period and the Han dynasty through to the neo-Confucian philosophy of the Tang and Song era and finally to the Ming and Qing dynasties. Revealing underexplored areas of Chinese thought, he provides Western readers with new insight into original texts and the ideas of over 40 Chinese philosophers, including Mencius, Shang Yang, Dong Zhongshu, Wang Chong, Liu Zongyuan, Shao Yong, Li Zhi, Wang Fuzhi and Zhang Xuecheng. This vast interpretive body is compared with the main premises of Western philosophy of history in order to open new lines of inquiry and directions for comparative study.
Clarifying key ideas in the Chinese tradition that have been misrepresented or shoehorned to fit Western definitions, Rogacz offers an important reconsideration of how Chinese philosophers have understood history.
Dawid Rogacz charts the development from pre-imperial Confucian philosophy of history, the Warring States period and the Han dynasty through to the neo-Confucian philosophy of the Tang and Song era and finally to the Ming and Qing dynasties. Revealing underexplored areas of Chinese thought, he provides Western readers with new insight into original texts and the ideas of over 40 Chinese philosophers, including Mencius, Shang Yang, Dong Zhongshu, Wang Chong, Liu Zongyuan, Shao Yong, Li Zhi, Wang Fuzhi and Zhang Xuecheng. This vast interpretive body is compared with the main premises of Western philosophy of history in order to open new lines of inquiry and directions for comparative study.
Clarifying key ideas in the Chinese tradition that have been misrepresented or shoehorned to fit Western definitions, Rogacz offers an important reconsideration of how Chinese philosophers have understood history.
Research Interests:
Książka jest pierwszą w skali światowej monografią naukową poświęconą rekonstrukcji i interpretacji chińskiej filozofii historii od jej początków do końca XVIII wieku. Podważając dominujące przeświadczenie, iż filozofia historii jest... more
Książka jest pierwszą w skali światowej monografią naukową poświęconą rekonstrukcji i interpretacji chińskiej filozofii historii od jej początków do końca XVIII wieku. Podważając dominujące przeświadczenie, iż filozofia historii jest wytworem jedynie kultury Zachodu, autor skrupulatnie analizuje koncepcje historiozoficzne ponad czterdziestu filozofów chińskich, którzy tworzyli przed kontaktem z ideami europejskimi. Dzieła większości z nich, spisane w klasycznym języku chińskim, nie zostały przełożone na żaden język zachodni. Unikatowy charakter wielu stanowisk wymagał także użycia nowych terminów filozoficznych, takich jak „prospektywizm”, „populizm historyczny” czy „spekulatywna filozofia historiografii”; znaczenie innych koncepcji, jak np. materializmu historycznego, uległo zaś rozszerzeniu. W charakterze interpretacyjnego klucza wykorzystano pojęcie holizmu, co prowadzi do ukazania całościowego charakteru refleksji nad dziejami i dziejopisarstwem w dawnym Państwie Środka. Książkę wzbogacają liczne wykresy, kolorowe ilustracje, indeks i obszerna bibliografia. Cytowane fragmenty niemal niedostępnej szerszemu gronu literatury źródłowej są przytoczone w przypisach. Jest to pozycja obowiązkowa dla wszystkich badaczy i pasjonatów nie tylko filozofii chińskiej, ale i filozofii historii oraz teorii historiografii.
Monografia stanowi uzupełnioną wersję rozprawy doktorskiej i powstała dzięki grantowi Narodowego Centrum Nauki.
Książkę w formie ebooka można nabyć na stronie wydawnictwa:
https://press.amu.edu.pl/pl/chi%C5%84ska%20filozofia%20historii.%20od%20pocz%C4%85tk%C3%B3w%20do%20ko%C5%84ca%20xviii%20wieku%20(pdf).html?fbclid=IwAR3mUc0iCc0j4k0A_mPDL95EMFkBRtHef_vfMZIf6zJORP0QtCMyOZZs-C0
Monografia stanowi uzupełnioną wersję rozprawy doktorskiej i powstała dzięki grantowi Narodowego Centrum Nauki.
Książkę w formie ebooka można nabyć na stronie wydawnictwa:
https://press.amu.edu.pl/pl/chi%C5%84ska%20filozofia%20historii.%20od%20pocz%C4%85tk%C3%B3w%20do%20ko%C5%84ca%20xviii%20wieku%20(pdf).html?fbclid=IwAR3mUc0iCc0j4k0A_mPDL95EMFkBRtHef_vfMZIf6zJORP0QtCMyOZZs-C0
Research Interests:
The main theme of my work is an encounter of religions. Its multidimensionality: confrontation of different views on Absolute, views on salvation, different religious ethics, patterns of sainthood and mystical experience – all of these... more
The main theme of my work is an encounter of religions. Its multidimensionality: confrontation of different views on Absolute, views on salvation, different religious ethics, patterns of sainthood and mystical experience – all of these points form the subject of philosophical reflection. The aim of this paper is an attempt to create some adequate philosophical model of such an encounter. My primary, and at the same time critical, point of reference is the conception of religious pluralism created by John Hick. By criticizing his approach I would like to refer to the thought of both his contemporary adversaries and religious thinkers, especially to Eastern philosophers: Arabian, Hindu and Chinese. The model coming out from this analysis, named radical religious pluralism, lets us judge the chances of effective interreligious dialogue nowadays.
In the first part of my work I present some possible ways in which different religions relate to others. Schematically I reduce these relations to three basic types: negative – war,
180
Summary
positive – dialogues and neutral – tolerance. The idea of inevitable religious war is considered with reference to conceptions of Samuel Huntington and Peter Sloterdijk. Analysis of the hermeneutical vision of dialogue is based on the conception of Raimund Panikkar. Finally, describing notions of religious tolerance I refer to the foundational concepts of John Locke, Baruch Spinoza and Voltaire.
In the second part I reconstruct religious pluralism of Hick, one of the most important representatives of analytical philosophy of religion. Firstly, I try to explicate the meaning of notions of religious exclusivism and inclusivism, between which Hick’s pluralism is situated. I refer also to the documents of particular religions, which determine the relation of some religion to other confessions. Further I describe in details main idea of Hick’s pluralism: connection between so-called Real an sich and Real pro nobis. I retrace ontological characteristics of Absolute and epistemological presumptions of Hick, lying under his model. Then I try to see how that what Hick calls critical realism has had an influence on his view on soteriological end, mystical experience, pattern of sainthood and ethical code. I carefully analyse some examples illustrating his thesis, especially those from Eastern religions. In the last paragraph I try to found some anticipations of Hick’s model. I put stress on philosophies of al ‘Arabī and Ramakrishna. Nevertheless, I strongly refute Kantian extraction of religious pluralism.
In the third part of my work I go on to critique of Hick’s pluralism. I agree with Muhammad Legenhausen and accept the variety of forms of religious pluralism. I show examples of alternative religious pluralisms: theological, sociological and philosophical, especially from analytical philosophy. In the first paragraph I present the idea of variety of religious ends according to Mark Heim. Then I criticize some essentialist
Summary
theories of mystique, referring mainly to Rudolf Otto. Finally, on the basis of the source material and accepted strategies of interpretation I construct pluralism of religious ethics and patterns of sainthood.
The fourth and the last part of my work summarizes and surmounts results of previous parts. Firstly, I put forward main epistemological objections concerning critical realism. Then I try to construct my own conception of radical religious pluralism, escaping from these charges. The main assumption of this model assumes the plurality of: (1) the forms of salvation and (2) the forms of mystical experience and (3) moral principles and finally, what is the most outstanding issue, (5) plurality of Realities. Apart from Perfect Being, there are many other Realities: Emptiness, Nature of Buddha, Dao and so on. I explain this view in details and defend this view because of many counterarguments, especially trying to prove that only one Absolute is possible. Further, I show some inspirations of such an approach coming from religious studies and philosophy. Finally, I make an attempt to answer the question of practical implications of radical religious pluralism for interreligious communication. Exploiting Habermas’ theory of communication I distinguish basic levels of this communication and try to persuade that previous assumptions were necessary for the dialogue conceived in such a way.
In the first part of my work I present some possible ways in which different religions relate to others. Schematically I reduce these relations to three basic types: negative – war,
180
Summary
positive – dialogues and neutral – tolerance. The idea of inevitable religious war is considered with reference to conceptions of Samuel Huntington and Peter Sloterdijk. Analysis of the hermeneutical vision of dialogue is based on the conception of Raimund Panikkar. Finally, describing notions of religious tolerance I refer to the foundational concepts of John Locke, Baruch Spinoza and Voltaire.
In the second part I reconstruct religious pluralism of Hick, one of the most important representatives of analytical philosophy of religion. Firstly, I try to explicate the meaning of notions of religious exclusivism and inclusivism, between which Hick’s pluralism is situated. I refer also to the documents of particular religions, which determine the relation of some religion to other confessions. Further I describe in details main idea of Hick’s pluralism: connection between so-called Real an sich and Real pro nobis. I retrace ontological characteristics of Absolute and epistemological presumptions of Hick, lying under his model. Then I try to see how that what Hick calls critical realism has had an influence on his view on soteriological end, mystical experience, pattern of sainthood and ethical code. I carefully analyse some examples illustrating his thesis, especially those from Eastern religions. In the last paragraph I try to found some anticipations of Hick’s model. I put stress on philosophies of al ‘Arabī and Ramakrishna. Nevertheless, I strongly refute Kantian extraction of religious pluralism.
In the third part of my work I go on to critique of Hick’s pluralism. I agree with Muhammad Legenhausen and accept the variety of forms of religious pluralism. I show examples of alternative religious pluralisms: theological, sociological and philosophical, especially from analytical philosophy. In the first paragraph I present the idea of variety of religious ends according to Mark Heim. Then I criticize some essentialist
Summary
theories of mystique, referring mainly to Rudolf Otto. Finally, on the basis of the source material and accepted strategies of interpretation I construct pluralism of religious ethics and patterns of sainthood.
The fourth and the last part of my work summarizes and surmounts results of previous parts. Firstly, I put forward main epistemological objections concerning critical realism. Then I try to construct my own conception of radical religious pluralism, escaping from these charges. The main assumption of this model assumes the plurality of: (1) the forms of salvation and (2) the forms of mystical experience and (3) moral principles and finally, what is the most outstanding issue, (5) plurality of Realities. Apart from Perfect Being, there are many other Realities: Emptiness, Nature of Buddha, Dao and so on. I explain this view in details and defend this view because of many counterarguments, especially trying to prove that only one Absolute is possible. Further, I show some inspirations of such an approach coming from religious studies and philosophy. Finally, I make an attempt to answer the question of practical implications of radical religious pluralism for interreligious communication. Exploiting Habermas’ theory of communication I distinguish basic levels of this communication and try to persuade that previous assumptions were necessary for the dialogue conceived in such a way.
Research Interests:
The paper introduces the transhumanism and cosmic communism of Mao Zedong and discusses its relation to a Marxian conception of human nature and analogous Soviet visions. Having shown that the two-sided understanding of human nature in... more
The paper introduces the transhumanism and cosmic communism of Mao Zedong and discusses its relation to a Marxian conception of human nature and analogous Soviet visions. Having shown that the two-sided understanding of human nature in Marx opened doors for its transhumanist interpretations, the article identifies instances of the latter in the ideal of the New Soviet Man, the views of Trotsky, and the communist (or at least Sovietized) cosmism of Tsiolkovsky and Bogdanov. In parallel to and prior to his contact with Marxism, Mao became occupied with the problems of immortality, alternative spaces, the destruction of the Earth, and the power of human will, and his early transhumanism only revived after 1949. It is shown that based on his revision of historical materialism and belief in the limitless potential of human powers, Mao envisaged that technological and cultural revolutions would still and endlessly occur under communism(s), including their cosmic phases, and even after a global nuclear catastrophe. This would be, however, a future of "something more advanced" than humans, free from their current physical limitations.
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The paper offers a reconstruction and re-evalutation of the philosophy of history developed by Li Dazhao (1889-1927)-one of the first Chinese Communists. It is argued that despite its marginal treatment in scholarly literature, Li's... more
The paper offers a reconstruction and re-evalutation of the philosophy of history developed by Li Dazhao (1889-1927)-one of the first Chinese Communists. It is argued that despite its marginal treatment in scholarly literature, Li's philosophy stands out from the thought of other Chinese Marxists for its creative interpretation of historical materialism and a critical engagement with Marx's view of class struggle and the economic base. Furthermore, in his philosophy of history, Li Dazhao innovatively draws on the Confucian idea of Great Unity (datong), Daoist criticism of heroism, and, most importantly, the concept of 'life' in Lebensphilosophie. In addition, the article shows that Li's view of the historical process was consistently complemented with an exceptional meta-philosophy of history and the philosophy of historiography which shared the premises of the much later narrativist epistemology of history.
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This article presents an analysis of the Sino-Christian philosophy of history created by Archbishop Stanislaus Lo Kuang (1911–2004), whose comprehensive view of historiography and the historical process situates him amongst very few... more
This article presents an analysis of the Sino-Christian philosophy of history created by Archbishop Stanislaus Lo Kuang (1911–2004), whose comprehensive view of historiography and the historical process situates him amongst very few contemporary thinkers interested in developing a distinctively Christian yet strictly philosophical outlook of human history. It is shown that for Lo, an inquiry into the structure of historical facts leads to uncovering their meaning, which is identical with the meaning of human life, namely the search for happiness. Humans, driven by their nature and led by heroes, move freely towards what they consider greater happiness, realizing that this requires ever greater freedom and equality. God is introduced in this approach only as a guarantee of the fulfillment of the deepest desires and the One who inscribed them into human hearts. Importantly, in his discussion of God’s relation to history, Lo Kuang refers to the Confucian conceptions of human nature, Heaven, and destiny, offering a cross-cultural synthesis at the intersection of the theology and philosophy of history. It is argued that despite its inconsistencies, Lo Kuang’s contribution is original and could still be relevant for global society today.
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The paper theoretically reconstructs the Daoist conception of music and musical experience based on the writings ascribed to Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Xi Kang. It is shown that in the eyes of the Daoists the experience of musical harmony is... more
The paper theoretically reconstructs the Daoist conception of music and musical experience based on the writings ascribed to Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Xi Kang. It is shown that in the eyes of the Daoists the experience of musical harmony is ineffable and nonrepresentational, transcending the limits of the human realm and requiring the emptying of one's mind and its inner feelings. This absolute Harmony, sometimes referred to as the directly inaudible Great Sound, was treated as another name for Dao-the Way things truly and spontaneously are. For Laozi, the Great Sound exists in all sounds as their totality, while for Zhuangzi thus understood "Heavenly music" consists in an endless harmony of the different tones spontaneously produced by all beings in the universe. Developing these approaches, Xi Kang argues against attributing human emotions to music and finally for the "categorial" separation between heart-mind and its feelings, which are released when stimulated by music, and the absolute Great Harmony. Xi Kang's arguments were also targeted at the Confucian view of music as representing the feelings of the people, but his elaboration on the non-representational nature of harmony and the non-intentional character of musical experience shows that these polemics were rooted in a positive standpoint, which, just as in the case of Laozi and Zhuangzi, successfully meets the definition of mystical experience.
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The philosophy of Confucius has often been accused of lacking classical definitions of its core concepts. However, as I shall argue, Confucius systematically used nonclassical definitions-to be precise, operational ones. The notion of... more
The philosophy of Confucius has often been accused of lacking classical definitions of its core concepts. However, as I shall argue, Confucius systematically used nonclassical definitions-to be precise, operational ones. The notion of operational definition comes from Percy Bridgman's The Logic of Modern Physics (Bridgman 1927) and means that the definiendum is defined by a set of operations that results in determining the meaning of the term in question. In the case of Confucian argumentation, operational definitions are mostly nominal and, in contrast to unambiguous methods of measurement, also context-dependent. This results in there being various yet not mutually inconsistent definitions of one term, and in "paradigmatic examples" playing a crucial role. As I show, this mode of defining things had major implications for the content of Confucius' thought. In fact, many of its forms could be traced back to other Chinese philosophers, including those of non-Confucian provenance.
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The paper examines the development of the idea of Supreme Peace (taiping 太平) in premodern Chinese philosophies of history. It is shown that while Daoists identified it with the pristine unity of humans and nature, Han Confucians equated... more
The paper examines the development of the idea of Supreme Peace (taiping 太平) in premodern Chinese philosophies of history. It is shown that while Daoists identified it with the pristine unity of humans and nature, Han Confucians equated Supreme Peace with the harmonious social system under the rule of one of the first Chinese emperors or Confucius. In the latter case, the notion of taiping was reduced to a descriptive category, which was then employed by historiography but ridiculed in the critical thought of Wang Chong. With Huainanzi and the Xiang' er commentary to Laozi, the Daoists started to argue that it is possible to restore the Supreme Peace under new historical conditions. This was systematically developed in the Scripture of Supreme Peace (Taipingjing), which offered a detailed depiction of the future era of equality and freedom. However, after this radicalization, the idea of taiping was utilized by imperial propaganda and disappeared from the dominant philosophical discourse. An exception to this rule was Li Gou (1009-1059), who envisaged Supreme Peace as an ideal socioeconomic system resulting from endowing peasants with land and money. A similar vision was expressed by Gong Zizhen (1792-1841), for whom Supreme Peace had to entail land equalization and the reduction of social inequalities. Similarly to Taipingjing, however, Gong Zizhen described taiping as the culmination point of the increase of human knowledge. With such an approach, the premodern Chinese views of Supreme Peace became noticeably close to Western progressivism, and therefore inspired the utopian project of Kang Youwei.
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This paper offers a first analysis of the philosophy of history developed by Jian Bozan (1898-1968), the author of China's earliest comprehensive exposition of historical materialism. Despite his central importance for the establishment... more
This paper offers a first analysis of the philosophy of history developed by Jian Bozan (1898-1968), the author of China's earliest comprehensive exposition of historical materialism. Despite his central importance for the establishment of professional historical studies in PRC, the existing studies neglect Jian's original contribution to the development of Chinese Marxism and his prewar works in general, focusing solely on his participation in the debate over the relation between history and theory in the 1960s. The paper seeks to fill this lacuna by providing a critical account of Jian Bozan's understanding of historical laws, progress, the stages of history, human freedom and the class struggle. Jian's synthesis of historicism and historical materialism, which at a time was seen as an alternative to the Maoist view of history, was officially condemned during the Cultural Revolution and led to his premature death. However, this paper demonstrates that, following the public rehabilitation of the thought of Jian Bozan in 1978, it was his system that had an important impact on the historiography in Dengist China. Furthermore, the paper argues that Jian's approach to historical materialism brought many novelties in relation to the preceding Sino-Marxist views of history.
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It is commonly assumed that historical materialism was first developed by Karl Marx, whose philosophy is often equated with this idea. The following paper challenges this opinion by showing that historical materialism, understood as a... more
It is commonly assumed that historical materialism was first developed by Karl Marx, whose philosophy is often equated with this idea. The following paper challenges this opinion by showing that historical materialism, understood as a general position within the philosophy of history, can be traced back to two generally unheralded Chinese thinkers: Liu Zongyuan (773–819) and Li Gou (1009–1059). Historical materialism is here understood as a standpoint built on three tenets: (1) a belief in the dependence of culture on the material fundaments of social life; (2) the interpretation of human history through the prism of structural transformations; and (3) understanding political and economic relationships in terms of antagonism between social groups. After elaborating upon the presence of these tenets in the thought of Liu and Li, the paper analyzes the influence of their ideas and, finally, points out the main differences between the premodern and modern forms of historical materialism.
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This article reflects on the role of scholarly virtues in the Chinese theory of history and compares it with the recent approach proposed by Herman Paul. The first three parts reconstruct what might be called a "Chinese virtue... more
This article reflects on the role of scholarly virtues in the Chinese theory of history and compares it with the recent approach proposed by Herman Paul. The first three parts reconstruct what might be called a "Chinese virtue epistemology of history," starting from Confucian views on sincerity in writing history and then turns to concepts of an "unbiased mind" and the "responsibility of a historian." The latter ideas were developed by Zhang Xuecheng (1738-1801), who introduced the concept of "the virtue of a historian (shide)," treating it as a sympathetic understanding toward the narrated characters. Interpretations of shide changed along with modern Chinese theorists of history, some of whom elaborated on it in the positivist manner. Thereafter, the article outlines Paul's view on the function of epistemic virtues in the formation of "historical persona." In the summary, I will draw upon the main similarities and differences between Paul's position and the traditional Chinese view in order to point out the main directions for further research on this topic.
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Contemporary theory of history struggles for finding a new research agenda 'after narrativism.' One such theoretical example is Jouni-Matti Kuukkanen's Postnarrativist Philosophy of Historiography. This essay argues that the position of... more
Contemporary theory of history struggles for finding a new research agenda 'after narrativism.' One such theoretical example is Jouni-Matti Kuukkanen's Postnarrativist Philosophy of Historiography. This essay argues that the position of Kuukkanen falls within the ambit of his own criteria of narrativism, namely: constructivism, representationalism, and holism. Yet at the same time, Kuukkanen's reconstruction of narrativism raises serious questions concerning its adequacy. This inadequacy, in connection with Kuukkanen's view that history books argue for certain theses, leads to some sort of essentialism and 'isolation' from the relation between the narrative on the one hand and the historian and the reader on the other hand. What is more, the main thesis of Kuukkanen's book is untenable on the basis of the examples to which he refers and lacks concrete instances of informal reasoning in history. As a result, a truly narrativist insight into the specificity of history books paradoxically goes unrecognized and Kuukkanen's model appears prenarrativist in its core.
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The aim of the essay is to demonstrate that the contact of European philosophy with Chinese thought in the second half of the 17th and 18th century influenced the rise and development of secularism, which became a distinctive feature of... more
The aim of the essay is to demonstrate that the contact of European
philosophy with Chinese thought in the second half of the 17th and
18th century influenced the rise and development of secularism,
which became a distinctive feature of the Western Enlightenment.
The first part examines how knowing the history of China and
Confucian ethics has questioned biblical chronology and undermined
faith as a necessary condition of morality. These allegations
were afterwards countered by reinterpreting Confucianismas cryptomonotheism.
I will argue this debate has contributed to the birth of
secular philosophy of history, which put an end to the Enlightenment
Sinophilism. Throughout those changes in the image of China, nothing
but an image was discussed: as it would be presented on a basis
of the thought of Wang Fuzhi and other representatives of Chinese
kaozheng 考證 movement, the encounter with the contemporaries of
the Westerners would have opened a real dialogue.
philosophy with Chinese thought in the second half of the 17th and
18th century influenced the rise and development of secularism,
which became a distinctive feature of the Western Enlightenment.
The first part examines how knowing the history of China and
Confucian ethics has questioned biblical chronology and undermined
faith as a necessary condition of morality. These allegations
were afterwards countered by reinterpreting Confucianismas cryptomonotheism.
I will argue this debate has contributed to the birth of
secular philosophy of history, which put an end to the Enlightenment
Sinophilism. Throughout those changes in the image of China, nothing
but an image was discussed: as it would be presented on a basis
of the thought of Wang Fuzhi and other representatives of Chinese
kaozheng 考證 movement, the encounter with the contemporaries of
the Westerners would have opened a real dialogue.
Research Interests:
The aim of my paper is to analyze the debate between Mencius and Xunzi from the perspective of their views on the nature of the historical process. The Mencian approach embraces not only elaboration on the doctrine of the Mandate of... more
The aim of my paper is to analyze the debate between Mencius and Xunzi from the perspective of their views on the nature of the historical process. The Mencian approach embraces not only elaboration on the doctrine of the Mandate of Heaven, resulting in a cyclical vision of history, but also strong idealization of the past. I will show that ren (benevolence), treated as a historical principle, could link two dimensions of his historical thinking: the moral and ontological. Xunzi rejected the possibility of the intervention of Heaven in history, however, his theory of rituals and belief in moral use of history made his philosophy of history much more conservative, embalming the idealization of the past. In short, I will look for the main common points and differences between these two major figures of Confucianism regarding their views on history, attempting to answer which beliefs could constitute a unique Confucian philosophy of history.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This paper aims to reconstruct the multifaceted and continuously modified philosophy of the history of Mao Zedong. It demonstrates that with regard to the philosophy of history, Mao’s thought should be divided into the (hitherto unknown)... more
This paper aims to reconstruct the multifaceted and continuously modified philosophy of the history of Mao Zedong. It demonstrates that with regard to the philosophy of history, Mao’s thought should be divided into the (hitherto unknown) pre-Marxist period to 1921 and the (widely recognized) Marxist era, the safest division of which is then that between
“early” Mao from before the founding of PRC, with the culmination in the Yan’an period, and “later” Mao, namely Chairman Mao, which was particularly abundant in ideas in the decade between 1955 and 1965. It is shown that the most significant difference between the philosophies of history of ‘early’ and ‘later’ Mao lies in the vision of the future. Before 1950,
Mao believed in the imminent arrival of the future utopia – the era of everlasting peace and the liberation of China and the world. Following collectivization, Mao started to advance the concept of permanent revolution, endless struggles between contradictions and, accordingly,
a ‘spiral’ pattern of infinite historical development. Mao’s ever-shifting attitude towards the relation between the superstructure and the economic base, as well as towards the issue of the laws of history, is also discussed in details. The essay concludes with an analysis of those categories of Mao’s philosophy of history rooted in his pre-Marxist view of history, Darwinism, and the traditional Chinese historical thinking.
“early” Mao from before the founding of PRC, with the culmination in the Yan’an period, and “later” Mao, namely Chairman Mao, which was particularly abundant in ideas in the decade between 1955 and 1965. It is shown that the most significant difference between the philosophies of history of ‘early’ and ‘later’ Mao lies in the vision of the future. Before 1950,
Mao believed in the imminent arrival of the future utopia – the era of everlasting peace and the liberation of China and the world. Following collectivization, Mao started to advance the concept of permanent revolution, endless struggles between contradictions and, accordingly,
a ‘spiral’ pattern of infinite historical development. Mao’s ever-shifting attitude towards the relation between the superstructure and the economic base, as well as towards the issue of the laws of history, is also discussed in details. The essay concludes with an analysis of those categories of Mao’s philosophy of history rooted in his pre-Marxist view of history, Darwinism, and the traditional Chinese historical thinking.
Research Interests:
The aim of this paper is to analyze the dynamics of the political power in the People’s Republic of China, using the conceptual apparatus of Leszek Nowak’s non-Marxian historical materialism. By applying his Model I of the theory of... more
The aim of this paper is to analyze the dynamics of the political power in the People’s Republic of China, using the conceptual apparatus of Leszek Nowak’s non-Marxian historical materialism. By applying his Model I of the theory of power, I am going to generalize theoretically the main political changes in post-war China, from the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, through the Cultural Revolution and the Opening-Up program, to the Chinese politics after 1989. The analysis will allow me to make three wide-ranging predictions concerning the further development of China in the fields of politics, economy, and ideology.
Research Interests:
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Yao and Shun are two of the legendary Five Emperors, considered to be China's rulers from 2355–2185 BC. Apart from archeological discussions on their historicity, they play a key role in classical Chinese culture as a distinctive literary... more
Yao and Shun are two of the legendary Five Emperors, considered to be China's rulers from 2355–2185 BC. Apart from archeological discussions on their historicity, they play a key role in classical Chinese culture as a distinctive literary motif. Both Confucius and Mencius put their beliefs into mouths of Yao and Shun because of the Confucian idealization of the past: wanting to justify some convictions, they argued that long since Yao and Shun certain customs or rules were in force. All stories about their life, e.g. the legend about Yao's decision of choosing Shun as his successor, were morality tales or, like in the case of other Confucian writer, Xunzi, served as examples illustrating the results of conducting ancient rituals. The aim of the paper is to show different roles in which Yao and Shun were functioning in ancient Chinese literature, providing examples from The Analects, Mencius, Xunzi's On Learning, The Classic of the Virtue of the Tao and Zhuangzi's The True Classic of the Southern Flower. The author argues that actually there are no essential differences in the usage of these figures between literary prose and historiography. This insight provides some arguments for interpreting Chinese historiography from the narrativist point of view, which is to say, as a kind of literature. Legends constitute an integral part of the literature while historical legends are one of the most inspiring kinds of legends. In case of Chinese civilization, which is the longest in its continuous development from the antiquity up to our times, the legends of the historical origins of the Middle Kingdom play a crucial role. Taking into account the absence of cosmogonic myths of the creation of the world in China, they can even be said to be culture-genic. Among those legends, one can find tales and historical descriptions of the two model emperors, Yao and Shun. As a result of numerous comments and conceptual metamorphoses of this figure, Yao and Shun became more and more abstract, so that they had been.
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This review essay discusses Bryan Van Norden’s book Taking Back Philosophy: A Multicultural Manifesto. Van Norden analyzes the situation in which the West deprives philosophies from other cultural traditions of their philosophical nature,... more
This review essay discusses Bryan Van Norden’s book Taking Back
Philosophy: A Multicultural Manifesto. Van Norden analyzes the situation
in which the West deprives philosophies from other cultural traditions of
their philosophical nature, as well as the cultural and political conditioning of this problem. Van Norden convincingly demonstrates implicit racism hidden behind philosophy curricula, which is supported by increasing nationalism in both Europe and the United States. Although his book is not radical enough in multiculturalizing philosophy, it successfully combines the approach of an academician with a practical response to the social demands of our times.
Philosophy: A Multicultural Manifesto. Van Norden analyzes the situation
in which the West deprives philosophies from other cultural traditions of
their philosophical nature, as well as the cultural and political conditioning of this problem. Van Norden convincingly demonstrates implicit racism hidden behind philosophy curricula, which is supported by increasing nationalism in both Europe and the United States. Although his book is not radical enough in multiculturalizing philosophy, it successfully combines the approach of an academician with a practical response to the social demands of our times.
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The paper compares the idea of transcendental metapolitics as developed by Tadeusz Buksiński with the main assumptions of the Confucian political philosophy. The analysis is particularly focused on the ideals of good life, normative... more
The paper compares the idea of transcendental metapolitics as developed by Tadeusz Buksiński with the main assumptions of the Confucian political philosophy. The analysis is particularly focused on the ideals of good life, normative concepts of man, and understanding of the public sphere, relevant to these two axiologies of politics.
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In this article, I would like to reconstruct the basic assumption of the Confucian religion, which came to life in the 2nd c. B.C., i.e. the idea of the correlation of Heaven and humankind (Tiān-rén gǎnyìng 天人感應). To that end, I will... more
In this article, I would like to reconstruct the basic assumption of the Confucian religion, which came to life in the 2nd c. B.C., i.e. the idea of the correlation of Heaven and humankind (Tiān-rén gǎnyìng 天人感應). To that end, I will examine the writings of Dong Zhongshu and other selected Han Dynasty thinkers. I will try to show that although Confucianism of that time did not assume any transcendent being or salvation, it fulfills the criteria of the religious phenomenon
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Celem artykułu jest wykazanie, iż kontakt filozofii europejskiej z kulturą Chin w II poł. XVII – II poł. XVIII wieku wpłynął na powstanie i rozwój sekularyzmu, który stał się charaktery-styczną cechą zachodniego Oświecenia. W pierwszej... more
Celem artykułu jest wykazanie, iż kontakt filozofii europejskiej z kulturą Chin w II poł. XVII – II poł. XVIII wieku wpłynął na powstanie i rozwój sekularyzmu, który stał się charaktery-styczną cechą zachodniego Oświecenia. W pierwszej części zamierzam zbadać, w jaki sposób po-znanie historii Chin i etyki konfucjańskiej podało w wątpliwość chronologię biblijną i podważyło wiarę jako konieczny warunek moralności. Następnie przeanalizuję próby odparcia tych zarzutów, reinterpretujące konfucjanizm jak krypto-monoteizm. W części trzeciej pokażę, jak debata dotyczą-ca kultury chińskiej przyczyniła się do narodzin świeckiej filozofii historii, która to historiozofia położyła ostateczny kres oświeceniowej sinofilii. W konkluzji przedstawię główne ograniczenia tezy o wpływie myśli chińskiej na narodziny sekularyzmu.
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The aim of this paper is to make an attempt to analyze the dynamics of thr political power in People’s Republic of China, using the conceptual apparatus of Leszek Nowak’s non-Marxian historical materialism. By means of application of his... more
The aim of this paper is to make an attempt to analyze the dynamics of thr political power in People’s
Republic of China, using the conceptual apparatus of Leszek Nowak’s non-Marxian historical materialism.
By means of application of his first model of the dynamics of power, I am going to generalize
in theoretical manner main political changes in post-war China: from foundation of PRC, through
Cultural Revolution and Opening Reforms up to the Chinese politics after 1989. Conducted analysis
will allow me to make three wide-ranging predictiions concerning further development of China in
the field of politics, economy and ideology.
Republic of China, using the conceptual apparatus of Leszek Nowak’s non-Marxian historical materialism.
By means of application of his first model of the dynamics of power, I am going to generalize
in theoretical manner main political changes in post-war China: from foundation of PRC, through
Cultural Revolution and Opening Reforms up to the Chinese politics after 1989. Conducted analysis
will allow me to make three wide-ranging predictiions concerning further development of China in
the field of politics, economy and ideology.
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This article puts forth the first Polish translation of fragments of Minglitan, „Investigation into the Meaning of Names”, that is Chinese translation and commentary of Aristotle’s Categories prepared by Chinese scholar, Li Zhizao and... more
This article puts forth the first Polish translation of fragments of Minglitan,
„Investigation into the Meaning of Names”, that is Chinese translation
and commentary of Aristotle’s Categories prepared by Chinese
scholar, Li Zhizao and Portuguese Jesuit, Francisco Furtado, and
published in 1631. Five pieces have been select for the translation:
Li Tianjing’s preface to Minglitan; a groundbreaking essay on sources
of philosophy, containing the very first Chinese transliteration of the
term φιλοσοφία; chapter on the category of substance; of quantity; and
chapter on opposites. The translation has been furnished with footnotes
elaborating on Chinese terms employed in the Minglitan, and has
been preceded by an introduction that delineates historical context of
Minglitan, its content and structure, along with a brief sketch of its main
linguistic determinants.
„Investigation into the Meaning of Names”, that is Chinese translation
and commentary of Aristotle’s Categories prepared by Chinese
scholar, Li Zhizao and Portuguese Jesuit, Francisco Furtado, and
published in 1631. Five pieces have been select for the translation:
Li Tianjing’s preface to Minglitan; a groundbreaking essay on sources
of philosophy, containing the very first Chinese transliteration of the
term φιλοσοφία; chapter on the category of substance; of quantity; and
chapter on opposites. The translation has been furnished with footnotes
elaborating on Chinese terms employed in the Minglitan, and has
been preceded by an introduction that delineates historical context of
Minglitan, its content and structure, along with a brief sketch of its main
linguistic determinants.
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The aim of this article is an attempt to reconstruct the reflection on the phenomenon of ethnocentrism in the philosophy of history and historical research. Taking into account the scope of the subject-matter, I narrow the study of... more
The aim of this article is an attempt to reconstruct the reflection on the phenomenon of ethnocentrism in the philosophy of history and historical research. Taking into account the scope of the subject-matter, I narrow the study of ethnocentrism to the Chinese history and historical thinking. Firstly, I try to elucidate the different meanings of the term ‘ethnocentrism’, showing its material and formal, essential and existential variants in the philosophy of history and historical research. Then, I analyze the Hegelian formula of ethnocentrism concerning his view of the Chinese history and culture. After that, I pass on to the critique of his approach, within the German philosophy of history (Jaspers, Plessner) itself, as well as in the postcolonial theory of history. Finally, I analyze Rüsen’s theory of history and his program of the intercultural comparative historiography, which had led him and his proponents to the detailed comparison of the Western and Chinese historical thinking. In conclusion, I present not only some main weak points of such conceptions, but also the main currents of development of the reflection on ethnocentrism in the philosophy of history I predict to arise on the basis of the foregoing debates.
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The aim of my paper is to analyze the philosophy of Yong Huang – leading representative of Confucianism in the 21st century, from the perspective of the evolution of Confucian thought within history and the specificity of contemporary... more
The aim of my paper is to analyze the philosophy of Yong Huang – leading representative of
Confucianism in the 21st century, from the perspective of the evolution of Confucian thought within
history and the specificity of contemporary Confucianism. I take into consideration political
thought of Yong Huang, which manifests its critical attitude towards both political liberalism (especially
that of Richard Rorty) and Christian heritage. By means of putting the thought of Yong
Huang in the historical framework, I want to demonstrate which philosophical beliefs remain
common for ancient and contemporary Confucianism. In the conclusion of the article I want to
show the tension between the tendency to universalize Confucian values and the relativization of
cultural narrations, taken from the Western thought.
Confucianism in the 21st century, from the perspective of the evolution of Confucian thought within
history and the specificity of contemporary Confucianism. I take into consideration political
thought of Yong Huang, which manifests its critical attitude towards both political liberalism (especially
that of Richard Rorty) and Christian heritage. By means of putting the thought of Yong
Huang in the historical framework, I want to demonstrate which philosophical beliefs remain
common for ancient and contemporary Confucianism. In the conclusion of the article I want to
show the tension between the tendency to universalize Confucian values and the relativization of
cultural narrations, taken from the Western thought.
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Presentation delivered during the conference ‘Humanism, Posthumanism and Transhumanism in East Asian Past and Present,’ held at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) on May 19-21, 2023
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Lecture delivered at the Institute of Philosophy in Zurich on March 16, 2023
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Filozofowie chińscy już w Okresie Walczących Królestw (480-221 p.n.e.) pytali o źródła i granice stosowalności języka, jego strukturę oraz funkcje społeczne. Wykład przybliży podstawy filozofii języka starożytnych konfucjanistów, taoistów... more
Filozofowie chińscy już w Okresie Walczących Królestw (480-221 p.n.e.) pytali o źródła i granice stosowalności języka, jego strukturę oraz funkcje społeczne. Wykład przybliży podstawy filozofii języka starożytnych konfucjanistów, taoistów i motistów oraz przedstawicieli szkoły nazw, z której wywodził się Gongsun Long, autor "Traktatu o białym koniu". Wykład będzie próbą odpowiedzi na pytanie, czy (a jeśli tak, w jakim stopniu) specyfika języka chińskiego ograniczała bądź determinowała wnioski chińskich myślicieli. W końcu to "nie my mówimy językiem, to język nami mówi" (W. Gombrowicz).
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The purpose of this book is to discuss the revival of analytical philosophy of history proposed by Paul A. Roth, a world-known analytical philosopher of the social sciences and the humanities. The first four papers outline the reasons for... more
The purpose of this book is to discuss the revival of analytical philosophy of history proposed by Paul A. Roth, a world-known analytical philosopher of the social sciences and the humanities. The first four papers outline the reasons for the decline of philosophy of history, its present phase of development, and its possible future. The other authors discuss important questions of this field of research including: the ontological status of the past, the epistemological assumptions of historical research, the explanatory dimensions of the narrative. In the last group of papers, the authors apply some of Roth's theoretical ideas within their own fields of research.
Contributors are: Krzysztof Brzechczyn (Poland), Nancy D. Campbell (USA), Serge Grigoriev (USA), Géza Kállay (Hungary), Piotr Kowalewski (Poland), Jouni-Matti Kuukkanen (Finland), Chris Lorenz (The Netherlands), Herman Paul (The Netherlands), Dawid Rogacz (Poland), Paul A. Roth (USA), Laura Stark (USA), Stephen Turner (USA), Rafał Paweł Wierzchosławski (Poland), and Eugen Zeleňák (Slovakia) Available at: http://www.brill.com/products/book/towards-revival-analytical-philosophy-history.
Contributors are: Krzysztof Brzechczyn (Poland), Nancy D. Campbell (USA), Serge Grigoriev (USA), Géza Kállay (Hungary), Piotr Kowalewski (Poland), Jouni-Matti Kuukkanen (Finland), Chris Lorenz (The Netherlands), Herman Paul (The Netherlands), Dawid Rogacz (Poland), Paul A. Roth (USA), Laura Stark (USA), Stephen Turner (USA), Rafał Paweł Wierzchosławski (Poland), and Eugen Zeleňák (Slovakia) Available at: http://www.brill.com/products/book/towards-revival-analytical-philosophy-history.