Syncretism (Chinese philosophy)

Syncretism or the Mixed School (Chinese: 雜家; pinyin: zájiā) in Chinese philosophy was an eclectic school of thought that combined elements of Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, and Legalism. Its texts include the Shizi (c. 330 BCE), Lüshi Chunqiu, and Huainanzi.[1]

Liu Xin says in the Book of Han:[2]

"Those of the Eclectic school had their origin in the Councillors. They drew both from the Confucianists and the Mohists, and harmonized the School of Names and the Legalists. They knew that the nation had need of each of these, and saw that kingly government should not fail to unite all. Herein lies the strong point of this school."

As it is known today, the Shizi does contain much Confucian material.[3]

As used by the Confucians for the Lüshi Chunqiu and Huainanzi, the term sorts texts that could otherwise be interpreted in relation to a concept by Sima Tan of syncrectic political Daoism, or Daojia in the Shiji. That is, the category splits off texts with notable quantities of content that could be called "Daoist". Their two texts can be understood as seeking to comprehensively incorporate or syncretize "all" knowledge of their time, a defining feature held in common with the Daoistic, encyclopedic Shiji.[4]

References

  1. ^ Jiao Shi; Paul Fischer (1 June 2012). Shizi: China's First Syncretist. Columbia University Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-231-50417-1.
  2. ^ Youlan 1976, p. 34.
  3. ^ Yates 1997, p. 196.
  4. ^ Smith 2003, p. 150.

Sources

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