Mou Zongsan facts for kids

Mou Zongsan (Chinese: 牟宗三; pinyin: Móu Zōngsān; Wade–Giles: Mou Tsung-san; 1909–1995) was an important Chinese thinker and translator. He was born in Shandong province, China, and studied at Peking University. In 1949, he moved to Taiwan and later to Hong Kong. He spent the rest of his life outside of mainland China.

Mou Zongsan was greatly influenced by the ideas of Immanuel Kant, a famous German philosopher. Mou translated Kant's main works from English into Chinese. He was also deeply inspired by Tiantai Buddhist philosophy.

For over 40 years, Mou wrote many books about Chinese philosophy, including "Neo-Daoist," Confucian, and Buddhist philosophy. His most important work, On the Summum Bonum (Chinese: 圓善論; pinyin: yuanshan lun), was published in 1985. In this book, he tried to fix some ideas in Kant's philosophy by using a mix of Confucian and Tiantai Buddhist thoughts.

In China, Mou is especially known for wanting to keep traditional Chinese culture alive. He also believed that democracy was a traditional Chinese value.

Mou Zongsan's Life Story

Mou Zongsan was born in Qixia, Shandong, where his family ran an inn. He went to Peking University for his college studies, starting in 1927. There, he became a student of Xiong Shili, who was a very important philosopher in China at that time.

After finishing university in 1933, Mou worked as a teacher at different schools and universities across China. In 1949, he moved to Taiwan with the Nationalist government. One of his students at Tunghai University was Tu Weiming, who also became a famous philosopher.

In 1960, Mou moved to Hong Kong. He taught at New Asia College (which is now part of the Chinese University of Hong Kong). He also helped start New Asia Middle School. In his later years, Mou became a well-known intellectual. He often gave talks about Confucian, Buddhist, Daoist, and Kantian philosophy. He lectured at Hong Kong University, National Taiwan Normal University, and National Taiwan University. He passed away in Taipei in 1995. Many of his students went on to hold important academic jobs in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Mou Zongsan's Books

Mou Zongsan wrote more than 30 books over about 60 years. His works from his last 30 years are the most studied. These books can be grouped into histories of Chinese philosophy and his own philosophical ideas.

Histories of Philosophy

• Physical Nature and Speculative Reason 才性與玄理 (1963): This book is about "Neo-Daoism" or xuanxue 玄學. It looks at how ideas developed during the Wei-Jin dynasties (220-420 AD). Mou believed these ideas influenced later Chinese philosophy, especially Buddhist and Confucian thought.
• Substance of Mind and Substance of Human Nature 心體與性體 (1968–1969): This is one of Mou's most famous books, especially in the West. It's a three-volume history of Confucianism during the Song (960-1279) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties, often called "Neo-Confucianism". Mou suggested there was a third main way of thinking in Neo-Confucianism, beyond the usual two schools. He thought this third way best showed the original ideas of the ancient sage Mencius. His later book, From Lu Xiangshan to Liu Jishan (從陸象山到劉蕺山) (1979), is seen as the fourth volume of this work.
• Buddha-Nature and Prajna 佛性與般若 (1977): In these two volumes, Mou explored Buddhist philosophy. He believed the Tiantai school of Buddhism was the most developed, even more so than the Huayan school. Mou felt that Tiantai ideas were very helpful for understanding Confucianism.

Philosophical Ideas

• Intellectual Intuition and Chinese Philosophy 智的直覺與中國哲學 (1971): In this book, Mou used Kant's idea of 'intellectual intuition' to explain Chinese philosophy. He believed that humans can have this kind of deep understanding. He also showed how Buddhist philosophy could be useful for Confucian ideas.
• Phenomenon and Thing-in-Itself 現象與物自身 (1975): This book explains Mou's idea of "two-level ontology." This idea is based on the deep philosophical thoughts of Kant and Buddhism.
• Treatise on Summum Bonum (圓善論) (1985): This was Mou's last major book. It tries to use Tiantai Buddhist ideas to find a Confucian answer to Kant's question about the "highest good" (summum bonum). It also includes Mou's thoughts on Mencius and how Daoist and Buddhist philosophies fit into modern Confucianism.

Mou Zongsan's Philosophy

Mou and Kant's Ideas

Mou Zongsan, like his teacher Xiong Shili, wanted to explain and support a "moral metaphysics." This means believing that morality and how the world works are connected. Mou's philosophy tried to show that Chinese thought could go beyond some of Kant's ideas about morality.

Many of Mou's book titles show his focus on Kant, like Intellectual Intuition and Chinese Philosophy and Treatise of the Perfect Good. He even used Kantian words to explain his own philosophy. Some experts think he did this to help Chinese and Western philosophies talk to each other. For example, he compared Mencius and Kant to show that their ideas could work together.

Mou's philosophy often started by looking at Kant's ideas, especially his book Critique of Pure Reason. Mou believed that Chinese thought and Kant's philosophy were similar because both were based on the "Way" (or truth). He thought different philosophies showed different parts of this truth.

One of Mou's main disagreements with Kant was about free will. Kant thought free will was just a theory. But Mou believed that morality and living a moral life are very real. He thought it was important for people to be able to improve their moral actions. Mou also believed that humans could have "intellectual intuition," a deep understanding that Kant thought only God could have.

Mou's Moral Metaphysics

Mou Zongsan's ideas about "moral metaphysics" suggest that morality is built into the very nature of the universe. He was influenced by the Platonic idea of the Form of the Good and the Confucian concept of dao (the Way). He also learned from Yogacara Buddhism, which teaches that our understanding of reality comes from our own minds.

Mou believed that philosophy and culture are deeply linked. He wanted to create a "Confucian Modernity," which means bringing traditional Confucian ideas into the modern world. He thought that humans have an inner goodness, which he called benti (ultimate reality). This inner goodness is connected to tiandao, the principle of the natural universe, which for Mou, is also the moral principle.

He believed that when we feel uncomfortable about bad actions, it shows we have a "moral consciousness" inside us. This inner moral sense is the core of human beings. Mou called this inner goodness liangzhi (good consciousness) and zhi de zhijue (intellectual intuition). For Mou, liangzhi is the very foundation of morality and human nature. He said, "the substance of human being is one and the same as that of the world, the world of value, but not the world of reality."

Mou's ideas were influenced by Mencius, an ancient Chinese philosopher. Mencius gave an example of a child about to fall into a well. He said that anyone would feel worried and want to help, showing our natural kindness. Mou agreed with this, but he also added a modern idea: that this kindness comes from each person's own inner moral freedom. This freedom, for Mou, is what drives us to be moral.

Mou also believed in "moral transformation." This means that all people can improve themselves and become wise, like ancient sages. He took this idea from Confucianism, along with the concept of summum bonum, which is about connecting being worthy of happiness with actually achieving happiness.

Discussions About Mou's Philosophy

Mou's ideas led to many discussions. Some scholars saw him as a supporter of Zen Buddhism because he focused on the possibility of reaching enlightenment, rather than just achieving it. Also, by saying humans have "intellectual intuition," Mou gave people moral responsibility.

Mou believed that if humans couldn't have intellectual intuition, then all of Chinese philosophy would "collapse completely." However, many scholars disagree with this, saying that Chinese philosophy and New Confucianism are still important even without this specific idea.

Some traditional Confucians didn't agree with Mou because he accepted Western ideas like liberty and democracy. They felt that his "Confucian Modernity" couldn't handle the challenges of the modern world. Others argued that Mou wasn't very involved in politics, which they thought was unusual for a Confucian, as Confucianism often encourages actively working for change. However, it's important to remember that there were limitations on speech in China during Mou's time.

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