Classical Confucian philosophy of culture : a dialogue with Ernst Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms
This dissertation will give a philosophical account of the significance of ~<i>wen</i>~ in the Confucian tradition. It will do so through dialogue with Ernst Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms which is comparable, in many respects, to the philosophy behind <i>wen</i>. The genealogy of Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms will also provide a meta-philosophical background for the reasons behind this commensurability. Chapter one offers an account of the intellectual history behind Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms and elucidates the key characteristics of his philosophy. These characteristics, it is argued, are shared by the Confucian tradition and are referred to throughout the dissertation. Chapter two explores <i>Xici </i>2.2 - the most canonical account of the genesis of culture in the Chinese tradition - through the terms of Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic formation. Chapters three and four shows how the same paradigm explored in chapter two applies to Confucian views on poetry/music and writing respectively. Chapter five discusses the same issues in relation to the Confucian view of the self. Chapter six demonstrates that both the Confucian and Cassirerian view of culture can be understood
Xiang, Shuchen
Classical Confucian philosophy of culture : a dialogue with Ernst Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms. This dissertation will give a philosophical account of the significance of ~<i>wen</i>~ in the Confucian tradition. It will do so through dialogue with Ernst Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms which is comparable, in many respects, to the philosophy behind <i>wen</i>. The genealogy of Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms will also provide a meta-philosophical background for the reasons behind this commensurability. Chapter one offers an account of the intellectual history behind Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms and elucidates the key characteristics of his philosophy. These characteristics, it is argued, are shared by the Confucian tradition and are referred to throughout the dissertation. Chapter two explores <i>Xici </i>2.2 - the most canonical account of the genesis of culture in the Chinese tradition - through the terms of Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic formation. Chapters three and four shows how the same paradigm explored in chapter two applies to Confucian views on poetry/music and writing respectively. Chapter five discusses the same issues in relation to the Confucian view of the self. Chapter six demonstrates that both the Confucian and Cassirerian view of culture can be understood
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