This book examines the origins and basic concepts of sociology in China and traces the discipline’s evolutionary trajectory. Building on the premise that qunxue, which goes back to Xunzi, is essentially the Chinese antecedent of modern/Western sociology, contributors try to show the distinctive ways qunxue addresses a wide range of both foundational and practical issues related to society using its own set of conceptual, analytical and methodological apparatus. The book argues that the rise of Chinese sociology will depend crucially on whether the rich heritage of traditional Chinese sociology can be fully appreciated and integrated with the Western tradition of learning. Following two preliminary chapters laying out qunxue’s basic paramters, the four remaining chapters focus on its four primary concerns: cultivation of the self (xiushen), regulation of the family (qijia), governance of the state (zhiguo), and realization of universal peace (pingtianxia).
Author(s): Tiankui Jing
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 506
City: Singapore
Contents
Editor and Contributors
Editor and Facilitator
Contributors and Academic Advisors
Contributors and Reviewers
Additional Contributors
1 Introduction: Historical Foundations of Chinese Sociology
1 How to Recognize the History of Chinese Sociology as a Discipline
1.1 On the Historical Existence of Qunxue
1.2 On the Criteria for Designation as an Academic Discipline and Their Predicative Assumptions
2 How to Approach the History of Chinese Sociology as a Discipline
2.1 Following the Pattern of Disciplinary Development, Chinese Sociology Met the Prerequisites for Marrying the Chinese and Western Intellectual Traditions
2.2 Setting Out the Heritage and Distinct Features of Chinese Sociology
2.3 Allowing Chinese Sociology to Build and Showcase Its Unique Strengths
3 How to Explore the Historical Foundations for the Rise of Chinese Sociology
4 Concluding Remarks
Part I General Introduction
2 The Origins and Development of Chinese Sociology
1 On the Origins and Development of Chinese Sociology
1.1 On the Nature of Sociology as a Discipline and Its Relationship to Modernity
1.2 On Challenges to the Historical Existence of Sociology in China
1.3 On the Origins of Chinese Sociology
1.4 On the Stream of Chinese Sociology
2 Tracing the Origins: The Significance of the Conceptual System of Qunxue
2.1 The Fundamental Importance of Identifying the Origins of Chinese Sociology
2.2 Validating Chinese Sociology on the Basis of Its Homegrown Conceptual System
3 Collecting Morsels from the Seas of History: The Value of the Conceptual System of Qunxue
3.1 On the Core Concepts of Chinese Sociology
3.2 On the Basic Concepts of Chinese Sociology
3.3 The Importance of Research on the Conceptual System of Chinese Sociology in the Rise of the Discipline
4 Concluding Remarks
3 Core Concepts in Chinese Sociology
1 Qun (Community): A Conceptual Definition and the Essence of Qunxue
1.1 Qunxue: Xunzi’s Creation
1.2 Qundao: The Expansion by Yan Fu
1.3 Liang Qichao’s Elucidation of the Principles of Qun
2 Human Relations: Social Relations and Their Maintenance
2.1 Sociological Observations on Lun
2.2 The Historical Evolution of Lun
2.3 Comparing Lun in China and the West, and the Value Thereof
3 Benevolence: The Foundational Concept for Social Constructs
3.1 The Origins and Evolution of Ren
3.2 The Sociological Connotations of Ren
3.3 The Social Construct of Ren
4 The Golden Mean: The Right Way of All Under Heaven
4.1 Origins, Connotations, and Evolution of the Concept of Zhongyong
4.2 Zhongyong as the Path of Good Governance
4.3 Zhongyong Society: A Third Path Diverging from Autocratic and Democratic Societies
4.4 The Modernization of Zhongyong Society
Part II Essential Concepts in Chinese Sociology: Hequn and Nengqun
4 Self-Cultivation
1 Body: The Oneness of Mental and Physical Being
1.1 The Significance of Shen
1.2 The Practicing Shen: Shaping Ethics and Ideas
1.3 The Body as a Vessel for the Mind: A Symbiotic Relationship of Master and Servant
2 Self: The Self-Concept of Dialectical Unity of Subject and Object
2.1 The Self-Concept of the Traditional Chinese Confucian School
2.2 The Objectified Ji and the Source of Benevolence
2.3 The Subjective I and No I
2.4 “Arising from the Self” and “No I”: A Dialectically Unified Self-Concept
2.5 The Sociological Significance of the Chinese Self-Concept
3 Human Nature: Personal Development and Social Edification
3.1 The Meaning of Xing
3.2 The Characteristics of Xing
3.3 The Theses of Xing
3.4 The Cultivation of Xing: Internalization of Social Norms
3.5 The Edification of Xing: Discipline and Social Control
4 Qi (Vital Energy): A Concept Linking Form and Spirit, Community and Self, and Heaven and Humanity
4.1 Conception of Form and Spirit
4.2 Conception of Community and Self
4.3 Conception of Heaven and Humanity
5 Mentality: The Formation and Practice of Social Psychology
5.1 Defining Social Mentalities
5.2 Shaping the Social Mentality
5.3 The Realization of Ideal Character
6 She and Hui (Households/Assembled): Concepts and Their Evolution
6.1 She and Hui
6.2 Huishe and Shehui
7 Heaven: The Social Order and Code of Law
7.1 What is the Meaning of Tian?
7.2 Principal Categories of Heaven in Chinese Society
7.3 Heaven in the Mind: The Illumination of Gentlemanly Self-Cultivation and Feelings
8 Nature: The Supreme State of Self-Cultivation
8.1 Interpretations
8.2 The Way of Accord Between Humans and Nature
9 Concluding Remarks
5 Regulation of the Family
1 The Family: The Foundation of Society
1.1 Evolution of the Family
1.2 Characteristics of the Family
1.3 The Family Was the Way Station for the Self to Enter Society
1.4 Functions of the Family in Society
2 The Clan: The Heart of Traditional Social Governance
2.1 The Concept of the Clan and Related Studies
2.2 Structural Characteristics of the Clan
2.3 Transformation of the Clan
3 Filial Piety: The Basis for Social Integration
3.1 The Origin and Formation of Filial Piety
3.2 The Meaning and Evolution of Filial Piety
3.3 Social Integration Through Filial Piety
4 Propriety: A Social Institution
4.1 The Meaning and Features of Propriety
4.2 Building Society Through Propriety
5 Honor: An Essential Norm in Society
5.1 The Origins, Development and Disputation of Honor
5.2 The Sociological Implications of Honor
5.3 Honor as a Social Construct
6 Trust: The Principle of Social Interaction
6.1 The Basic Meaning of Trust
6.2 The Characteristics of Trust
7 Benefit: The Incentive for Social Action
7.1 Li (Benefit): A Polysemant
7.2 Benefit as the Power Motivating the Operation of Society
7.3 The Functions of Benefit in the Operation of Society
Part III Essential Concepts in Chinese Sociology: Shanqun and Lequn
6 Governance of the State
1 State and People: The Essential Matters of State Governance
1.1 The Origins and Formation of the State: The Historical Premise for State Governance
1.2 The Agent and Objects of State Governance
1.3 Value Concepts in the State’s Governance of the People
1.4 Institutional Instruments for the State’s Governance of the People
2 State Territory: The Spatial Construction and Governance of the State
2.1 The Meaning of State Territory and Its Institutional Evolution
2.2 Systems for the Distribution of Land
2.3 Systems for the Taxation of Land
3 Scholars: The Elite of State Governance
3.1 Evolution of the Meaning of Shi
3.2 The Formation of the Shi Class
3.3 Composition of the Shi Class
3.4 Essential Characteristics of the Shi Class
3.5 Social Mobility of the Shi Class
3.6 Historical Roles of the Shi Class
4 The Way of the King and the Way of the Hegemon: Models of State Governance
4.1 The Historical Evolution of Thought on Kingliness and Hegemony
4.2 Essential Views on Kingliness and Hegemony
5 Worth and Ability: Standards for the Selection of Talent in State Governance
5.1 The Social Intensions of Worth and Ability
5.2 Structural Stratification of the Combination of Worth and Ability
6 The Imperial Civil Service Examination: A System for the Selection of Talent in State Governance
6.1 Fundamental Significance of the Civil Service Examination
6.2 Evolution of the Civil Service Examination System
7 Public and Private: The Boundary Separating the State and the Individual
7.1 The Meanings of Gong (Public) and Si (Private)
7.2 Historical Evolution of Traditional Views on Public and Private
7.3 Fundamental Characteristics of Traditional Views on Public and Private
8 Order: The Objective of Social Governance
8.1 The Implications and Evolution of Chinese Thought on Order
8.2 The Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Thought on Order
8.3 The Order Complex in Traditional Chinese Thought
9 Position and Advancement: The Ideal Condition of State Governance
9.1 The Fundamental Meaning of Weiyu
9.2 Evolving Interpretations of Weiyu
9.3 The Sociological Implications of Weiyu
9.4 Weiyu: The Ideal Condition of State Governance
7 Peace for All Under Heaven
1 All Under Heaven: The Chinese Concept of the World
1.1 The Origin and Evolution of the Concept of All Under Heaven: The World as a Commonwealth and as a Family
1.2 The Sociological Implications of All Under Heaven
1.3 The Structure and Structuralization of All Under Heaven
1.4 The Reconvergence of Views on All Under Heaven
1.5 The System of Knowledge of All Under Heaven: An Unfinished Task for the Sociology of Knowledge
2 Circumstance: Abiding by the Laws of All Under Heaven
2.1 The Origins, Connotations and Evolution of the Concept of Circumstance
2.2 Circumstance as a Concept in Chinese-Style Pragmatic Sociology
2.3 The Meaning of Circumstance: On the Actualized Understanding of Processes
2.4 Types of Circumstances
2.5 The Chinese Theory of Action: Acting by Exploiting Circumstance
2.6 Concise Planning for a System of Social Theory on Circumstance: Landscape, Position and Advancement
3 Change: The Principle of the Continuous Renewal of Life
3.1 From Cyclical Theory to Generative Theory
3.2 The Essence of Social Change: The Creation of Something from Nothing
3.3 The Mechanism of Social Change: Dialectical Change
3.4 The Motivating Forces for Social Change: Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity and Adaptation to Circumstances
3.5 The Form of Social Change: An Open Cycle
4 Harmoniousness: The Way of Social Harmony
4.1 The Origins and Evolution of Harmoniousness
4.2 The Social Construct of Harmoniousness
4.3 Concluding Remarks
5 Pluralistic Unity: A Mechanism of Ethnic Integration
5.1 The Origins of Pluralistic Unity
5.2 The Implications of Pluralistic Unity
5.3 Concluding Remarks
6 Great Unity: The Social Ideal of the World as a Commonwealth
6.1 From Minor Prosperity to Great Unity: Significance and Distinctions
6.2 Historical Evolution of the Social Ideal of Great Unity
6.3 Early Modern Thought on Great Unity
Postscript
Bibliography
