DISCUSSION TOPIC: CHINESE PHILOSOPHY AND THE WARRING STATES PERIOD
SOME QUESTIONS
How would you begin to describe China during the Warring States Era? Why was it such a tumultuous time?
Why did this period become such a crucible for political theory and ethical philosophy?
What were the basic questions that Chinese thinkers asked and how did their answers to these questions differ? What were the core principles and assumptions of such basic approaches as Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism? How would you account for the differences between them?
How would you begin to place Chinese philosophy during the Warring States Period within the larger context of Axial Age thinking? How would you compare both the ideas of the Chinese philosophers of this era and the times in which they lived with the Axial Age philosophers of India, the Near East and Greece? What parallels and contrasts can you identify?
Starting Places
"China: The Warring States Period," In Our Time, BBC Radio 4, April 1, 2004.
Background And Overview
Hundred Schools Of Thought -- Wikipedia: An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.
Chinese Warring States Period -- The Era Of Warring States Was A Time Of Disunity Of China, Suites 101:
Warring States Period -- Wikipedia: An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.
Individual Philosophers And Philosophies
Confucius And Confucianism
Fergus M. Bordewich and Jeffrey Aaronson, "The Way Of Confucius," Smithsonian, 32 (November 2001).
Confucius -- Wikipedia: An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.
Confucianism -- Wikipedia: An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.
Laozi And Taoism
Laozi -- Wikipedia: An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.
Tao Te Ching -- Wikipedia: An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.
Taoism -- Wikipedia: An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.
Zhuangzi -- Wikipedia: An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.
Mozi
Mozi -- Wikipedia: An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.
Legalism
Xun Zi -- Wikipedia: An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.
Han Fei -- Wikipedia: An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.
Sun Tzu And The Art Of War
Sonshi.com: An on-line resource for Sun Tzu's Art of War.
Sun Tzu -- Wikipedia: An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.
Art Of War -- Wikipedia: An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.
Chinese Philosophers In The News
Alex Munro, "Confucius's Birthday Reminds Us Why He Still Matters," Guardian, September 28, 2009.
"Confucian Family Tree 'Triples,'" BBC News, September 25, 2009.
Timothy Garton Ash, "Confucius Can Speak To Us Still -- And Not Just About China," Guardian, April 9, 2009.
Michael Bristow, "China Torch Relay: Qufu," BBC News, July 21, 2008.
Jill McGivering, "China's Thriving Confucian Schools," BBC News, January 3, 2008.
"Confucians Say, Women Now Welcome," BBC News, September 28, 2006.
"Confucius Relics Damaged In Clean-Up," BBC News, February 6, 2001.
James L. Tyson, "Ancient Words Of War Wisdom," Christian Science Monitor, March 4, 1991.
Miscellaneous
Audio Sources
Art Of War -- LibriVox: Sun Tzu's text read by Moira Fogarty.
Primary Texts
Tao Te Ching: A 1995 translation of Laozi's most famous text by Stephen Mitchell.
Han Fei-Tzu (d. 233 BCE) -- "Legalist Views On Good Government":