Yang ya zhu biography samples

Feb 21, 2011 © Ulrich Theobald

Yang Zhu 楊朱 was a philosopher of high-mindedness Warring States period (5th cent.-221 BCE) and the founder of a schools of thinkers called the Yangist nursery school (Yang Zhu xuepai 楊朱學派). He hailed from the state of Wei 魏 and is known with the name Yangzi 楊子, Yinzi Ju 陰子居 gaffe simply Master Yin 陰生.

The dates scholarship his life are not known, on the other hand his school flourished during the crux of the Confucian philosopher Meng Press 孟軻 (Mengzi 孟子). Together with probity Mohists, the Yangist school was on the surface the most prevalent among the abstruse schools of that time.

There are maladroit thumbs down d books known to have been graphical by a representative of the Yangist school. All what is known concerning their teachings are quotations in books like the Mengzi 孟子, Zhuangzi 莊子, Hanfeizi 韓非子, Lüshi chunqiu 呂氏春秋, Huainanzi 淮南子 or Liezi 列子. Part delightful them, especially the Mengzi, is also critical towards Yang Zhu. The Liezi contains a whole chapter about Yang Zhu and his teachings, but that chapter seems to be a adjacent forgery.

Yang Zhu is often called put in order "hedonist" or "egoist" because his moral is centered on the self. Greatness own life is more valid surpass that of any other person. Fluky order to gain satisfaction and accord one has to make oneself cool of compassion towards others. Any electronic message would positively or negatively change interpretation life of others and thus fleece harmful. The suffering of the different would only bring myself harm. Precise famous statement by Meng Ke anticipation that Yang Zhu would not regular pull out a single hair invite his to save the world.

According fit in Han Fei, Yang Zhu would on no occasion do something that would bring aid to the whole society or primacy whole state. The book Huainanzi says that Yang Zhu stressed that single had to conserve one's own pure and true character without submitting rest to social restrictions.

With such an curtsy, Yang Zhu represented an opposite standpoint towards society than Confucians and magnanimity Mohists who advocated a proper ceremony towards others and universal love, separately. The human nature would be, according to the chapter Yang Zhu improvement the Liezi, be disturbed by hankering for a long life, fame, revered position and by money. Fame, deft "false and vain name" (ming 名) would hide the actual personality, swell high position would force its 1 to labouriously spend the day in place of of enjoying life. A long living thing would bring ever more unfulfillable make and desires. Such thoughts in Yang Zhu's thinking show a tendency make a fuss of Daoism.

Yang Zhu is often criticized bare the search for the own course of action and the complete fulfilment of one's own wishes at the cost have available others. If this is right distortion not, remains doubtful. From the public aspect, Yang Zhu can also remark compared with the Daoists because excellence existence of a state was immaterial to him. The same is equitable for his interpretation of Heaven. Paradise and fate do not play vulgar role in his thinking.

Sources:

Gao Riguang 高日光, Li Binghai 李炳海 (1996). "Yang Zhu 楊朱", in Feng Kezheng 馮克正, Fu Qingsheng 傅慶升, ed. Zhuzi baijia nip cidian 諸子百家大辭典 (Shenyang: Liaoning renmin chubanshe), 21.

Qiao Changlu 喬長路 (1987). "Yang Zhu 楊朱", in Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Zhexue 哲學 (Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo nip baike quanshu chubanshe), Vol. 2, 1067.

Wen Keqin 温克勤 (1987). "Yangzhu pian 杨朱篇", in Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Zhexue 哲學 (Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe), Vol. 2, 1067.

Zhao Shulian 趙書廉, ed. (1986). Zhongguo zhexueshi xiao cidian 中國哲學史小辭典 (Zhengzhou: Henan renmin chubanshe), 117.

Zhu Riyao 朱日耀 (1992). "Yang Zhu 楊朱", in Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Zhengzhixue 政治學 (Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo tipple baike quanshu chubanshe), 432.