Papers by Alice Simionato
International Communication of Chinese Culture, 2024
Starting from the publication of the Confucius Sinarum Philosophus (Paris, 1687)—the first Latin ... more Starting from the publication of the Confucius Sinarum Philosophus (Paris, 1687)—the first Latin translation of Chinese philosophical texts—European scholars, such as Leibniz, Malebranche, and Bayle, became interested in learning about Chinese culture. However, the pivotal stage of this reception was partial and strongly influenced by contemporary religious and political goals, which are well represented by the Jesuit mission in China. Weighing the merits of early understandings of Neo-Confucianism against their limitations, I present a case study regarding the notion of li 理 in the sense of the brothers Cheng Hao 程顥 (1032–1085) and Cheng Yi 程頤 (1033–1107) and argue for the importance played by context and difference in intercultural understanding. First, early European receptions of the Neo-Confucian li are assessed in terms of their merits and limitations and with reference to the practice of translation. I argue that the Eurocentric character of early receptions of Confucianism is not only due to the underlying aims by which such understanding was vehiculated but also, and more specifically, to a lack of nuanced understanding resulting from an unbalanced focus on similarities across traditions. Formal indication is introduced as a tool to stem the issues of underdetermination and limitation posed by translation. It is applied to an overview of the various ways in which the Cheng brothers explain li by specifying it through the conjunction with other notions such as dao, tian, xin, ming, and xing. I conclude that understanding li as a formal indication can help us to appreciate the role of context and difference in understanding Chinese philosophical texts, an endeavor here taken as but one example of cross-cultural and intercultural understanding.
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Nanyang Technological University Digital Repository, 2023
Since the Jesuits brought to Europe the first Latin translations of Chinese Confucian texts in th... more Since the Jesuits brought to Europe the first Latin translations of Chinese Confucian texts in the 17th century, scholars have attempted to interpret foreign ideas through the lenses of familiar ones by associating the Neo-Confucian tradition to the thought of the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza. In particular, the association has been variously made on the basis of a supposedly shared ‘monistic rationalism’, a categorization that has long remained unquestioned. Moving away from the religious and political agendas upon which this cross-cultural link has been initially elaborated, this research examines the philosophical value of this case study by enacting a comparison between Spinoza and the Neo-Confucian Cheng brothers, Cheng Hao 程顥and Cheng Yi 程頤. On the basis of specific methodological assumptions – which have been conceived in order to ensure conceptual clarity and differentiation in consideration of such distant cultural, historical, and linguistic contexts - I argue that an attentive examination of Spinoza and the Cheng’s thought can provide a unified understanding of the characteristics and functioning of ‘reason’ in its epistemological and ethical value. By examining the metaphysical commitments of these philosophers, which ascribe to two kinds of oneness (Natura and Dao), I then discuss the epistemological and ethical consequences deriving from both frameworks. In light of the comparison enacted, I argue that Spinoza’s ratio and the Cheng’s li 理 of the mind (xin 心) and nature (xing 性) provide a coextensive notion of ‘reason’. The latter emerges as a modus operandi which is embedded and embodied, and that I interpret as a practice of self-extension by means of which the individual understands oneness through its differentiations. By articulating such an understanding of ‘reason’, the research also problematizes the ‘rationalist’ label that has been retrospectively attached to both Spinoza and the Cheng brothers, which may have hindered the full appreciation of this cross-cultural link’s philosophical value.
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Annals of the University of Bucharest, Philosophy Series, 2021
In this paper, I argue that Spinoza's theory of emotions as developed in his Ethics provides a th... more In this paper, I argue that Spinoza's theory of emotions as developed in his Ethics provides a theory of becoming. In particular, I argue that adequate knowledge of the emotions attained through reason provides human beings with a twofold insight; on the one hand, adequate knowledge of affectus provides metaphysical insight while, on the other hand, it provides ethical insight. The metaphysical insight stems from an adequate understanding of the directionality of individual desires which knowledge of the emotions provides in terms of self-knowledge. At the same time, the ethical insight consists in the adequate understanding of what counts with certainty as increasing an individual's power of acting as deriving from the metaphysical understanding of the affection of one's conatus. Overall, I argue that the adequate knowledge of emotions provided by reason lies at the core of Spinoza's project of formulating guidelines for the attainment of human flourishing, that is, freedom.
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Leiden University Repository, 2019
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Journal of East-West Thought, 2020
This paper offers a comparative study of two fundamental Confucian concepts, namely, "harmony" (h... more This paper offers a comparative study of two fundamental Confucian concepts, namely, "harmony" (he) and "coherence" (li). After presenting and interpreting the two characters-with reference to both classical thought and Neo-Confucianism-the paper examines how these concepts relate in the specific context of Neo-Confucian thought. While considering their differences in historical development, the study takes account of important characteristics shared by the two concepts as well as the ways in which they differ: in particular, it is argued that "harmony" is primarily relational while "coherence" is primarily constitutional. The common ground relating these two notions, in light of their differences, is to be found in their shared aspects of creativity and dynamism.
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Rivista di Estetica, 2019
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Book Reviews by Alice Simionato
Philosophy East and West 72/2, 2022
Recent anglophone scholarship on Chinese philosophy provides students and scholars with a great v... more Recent anglophone scholarship on Chinese philosophy provides students and scholars with a great variety of introductory materials, especially when it comes to encyclopedias and manuals on the history of Chinese philosophical traditions. It is therefore increasingly difficult for scholars to produce innovative studies on the subject that can provide a significant and original contribution to the field, especially when addressing both specialists and enthusiasts. In this context, The History of Chinese Philosophy Through its Key Terms by Nanjing University’s Wang Yueqing 王月清, Bao Qinggang 暴庆刚, and Guan Guoxing 管国兴 certainly represents a valuable and innovative contribution. Instead of presenting the history of Chinese thought by sectioning it in terms of thinkers or schools of thought, as it is traditionally done in encyclopedic works, the book considers the historical and conceptual evolution of specific key terms which characterize the evolution of those philosophical traditions which form the broad and diversified framework of Chinese philosophy. The book is composed of thirty-seven chapters (varying from 8 to 18 pages in length), each of which is devoted to a detailed discussion of a specific key term in both its historical and conceptual evolution. The great majority of chapters discuss the evolution of terms within the broad historical framework ranging from classical thought to the end of the Qing dynasty.
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Bulletin de bibliographie spinoziste XLIII, Archives de philosophie, 2021
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Papers by Alice Simionato
Book Reviews by Alice Simionato