Customer Reviews

The Thought of Chang Tsai (1020-1077) (Cambridge Studies in Chinese History, Literature and Institutions)

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If your are looking for a book-length study of Chang Tsai, this is the only one avialable in English. It is a standard historical study of an early Neo-Confucian philosopher contextualizing him in his social and intellectual environment framing his work between Confucius and Mencius and later Neo-Confucians Ch'eng Hao, Ch'eng Yi, and Chu Hsi. Ira Kasoff provides the reader with background information on Chinese religious development and his subject's intellectual influences creating a solid portrait of an important though somewhat overlooked figure in Chinese philosophy. Kasoff's writing is clear and very readable with Chinese terms translated. The book includes a two glossaries, an appendix on Chang Tsai's writings, another appendix with biographical information. Overall, Kasoff provides the expert or general reader with a very good introduction to this philosopher of the Song dynasty.

Like many Neo-Confucian philosophers, Chang Tsai studied Buddhism and Taoism in his youth, but then rejected the schools in favor of returning to the "way of the sages" and the Confucian principles of rites, righteousness, and centrality. Like other Neo-Confucians, Chang Tsai's rejection of Buddhism and Taoism turned into a strong polemic against the schools, especially Buddhism which was viewed as foreign and faddish. However, their early studies left a mark on their thinking, and the influences of Buddhism and Taoism are woven into their work, not simply as a product of dialectical interaction, but producing a Confucian world-view that included fresh perspectives on ontology, cosmology, human nature, and epistemology and its relationship to "enlightenment." Chang Tsai is an interesting and exemplary figure in a school of philosophy that, while critical of its opponents, nonetheless utilized and evolved insights from them.

Notably, Chang Tsai is probably best known as the philosopher of ch'i. Unlike other Confucian philosophers, whose philosophy starts with man, Chang Tsai's philosophy starts with cosmology and the basic "stuff" of the universe and produces a teaching that can be described as ontological monism or monist realism. Following an early religious development that de-anthropomorphised Heaven (T'ien), Chang Tsai reworked the wheel metaphor from the Tao Te Ching (Chapter 11) so that the hub of the wheel no longer reflects "emptiness" or "non-being" but is filled with the mysterious and marvelous energy of ch'i. This reinterpretation of the metaphor cuts off what he saw as the confusing and inane Buddhist and Taoist speculations on emptiness and nothingness. Chang Tsai's philosophy is all about a "somethingness," a basic "stuff" of the universe. Ch'i is a pervasive force that creates reality; subject to yin and yang activity, ch'i is like water taking on many forms and is indesctructable. Chang Tsai's philosophy is hallmarked by ch'i and its changes, with this fluid and pervasive force underpinning the world in its many manifestations. (Yes, he sounds a little like Master Yoda)

Ira Kasoff does a fine job of explaining Chang Tsai's philosophy and its subtleties (which are not really reflected in this review), including how ch'i is involved in the development of the sage, an epistemological process transmuting ch'i through ritual and study that limits the ego and moves the mind from a "set mind" to "this mind" that is in accord with human nature, which, in keeping with Mencius, is deemed to be entirely good. Chang Tsai philosophy also has elements of universal love (though different than Mo Tzu's understanding), sympathetic resonance (no doubt a Buddhist influence), and wu-wei (a ubiquitous theme in Chinese philosophy). His philosophy is also "mechanistic" and impersonal with ch'i lacking any sort of conciousness with which man can interact. The sage is charged with "tailoring" his understanding and ethics to the changes around him. Unfortunately, this lack of consciousness associated with ch'i produced a weakness in Chang's thought. His understanding of Li, Universal Principle, is left open to criticism. What casues ch'i to form into one thing and not another? The Cheng brothers, whose school immediately succeeded Chang's school, offered a philosophy that dealt with this issue bringing many of Chang's disciples into its fold. It is probably the reason Chang Tsai's reputation is slighted in the Neo-Confucian tradition.

Chang Tsai is an interesting figure in Chinese philosophy worthy of study. Ira Kasoff has provided us with a fine introduction to his work. The only thing I did not like about the book was the translation of T'ai hsu as "Great Void." Though I am not a linguist, it struck me as too negative, and I prefer Wing-tsit Chan's "Great Vacuity." I was also a little put off by the price. This book is a standard academic publisher's paperback binding. I recommend looking for a good used edition.