英文摘要 |
In the Defense of Zhang Zai’s Theories Regarding Li and Qi 橫渠理氣辯, Wang Tingxiang used Zhang Zai’s theory of Qi to criticize Zhu Xi’s 朱熹 doctrine identifying “the nature as principle.” However, if it is supposed that conceptions of li 理, qi 氣, xin 心, and xing 性 form a fundamentally consistent discourse, then could the drastic differences between Zhang’s and Wang’s views of the human nature and moral self-cultivation imply that dissimilar philosophies underlie the surface similarities in their theories of Qi? This study seeks to answer this question by comparing the Qi theories developed by Zhang Zai and Wang Tingxiang. The argument proceeds in five parts. First, I clarify the ideas cited or quoted by Wang, and investigate their original meanings in the Zheng Meng 正蒙. Second, I assert that the fact that Zhu Xi did not rely on Zhang’s philosophy to explicate the truth of creation does not necessarily mean that Zhu was unfamiliar with Zhang’s doctrine of Qi. Third, I review three contemporary perspectives on the similarities and differences in Zhang’s and Wang’s theories of Qi. Fourth, I reference the methods and approaches adopted by previous scholars to explore how differences in Zhang’s and Wang’s theories of human nature were related to their fundamental hypotheses concerning Qi. Fifth, I contend that consideration of the idea that “the universe is qi” 太虛即氣 leads to the establishment of a fourth perspective from which to compare Zhang’s and Wang’s theories of Qi. |