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The Three Interpretations of Xunzi's Heavenly Way

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DOI: 10.23977/phij.2025.040115 | Downloads: 10 | Views: 179

Author(s)

Yue Xu 1

Affiliation(s)

1 School of Philosophy and Sociology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou City, China

Corresponding Author

Yue Xu

ABSTRACT

Based on the standpoint of experience, Xunzi opened up a Confucian relationship between heaven and man that was different from Confucius and Mencius. As for the philosophical category of "Heaven", it has multiple meanings. First, the meaning of nature of heaven has become a consensus, but the definition of the concept of "nature" has different tendencies in the academic community. "Nature" should be the unity of objective nature and scientific nature; second, Xunzi said that "clear from the distinction between heaven and man", but he also certainly "can participate", and the two do not conflict with man and society; third, studying Xunzi's thoughts of heaven is born and made by man, and in this perspective, "knowing the heaven" and "not seeking to know heaven" are mutually unified.

KEYWORDS

Xunzi, Heaven, Multiple Meanings

CITE THIS PAPER

Yue Xu, The Three Interpretations of Xunzi's Heavenly Way. Philosophy Journal (2025) Vol. 4: 101-105. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/phij.2025.040115.

REFERENCES

[1] Dongfang Shuo: "Search of Rationality - Collection of Essays on Xunzi's Thoughts" [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai People's Publishing House, 2017, p. 66.
[2] Mou Zongsan: "Famous Artists and Xunzi" [M], Changchun: Jilin Publishing Group Co., Ltd., 2010, p. 143.
[3] Feng Youlan: "New Edition of the History of Chinese Philosophy" [M]. Beijing: People's Publishing House, 1984, page 114.
[4] Zhong Tai: "History of Chinese Philosophy", Hunan: Hunan Normal University Press, 2018, page 70.

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