A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy

by Wing-Tsit Chan

Book Overview

A monumental compendium of Chinese thought, from pre-Confucianism to Chinese Communism A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy covers the entire historical development of Chinese philosophy from its... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691019649
• Release Date: April 1969
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 874 Pages
• Weight: 1.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.3" x 1.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Opens the Door to the East

As a novice in Chinese and Eastern Philosophy, I began reading various books, intent on culling the beauty of Eastern Thought. When a good friend loaned me this book, the essence of eastern thought blossomed in my mind like a flower. Wing-Tsit Chan is a true sage himself, and to be so scholarly as to translate Confucius and Lao Tzu himself is just added understanding. A rare insightful and scholarly work that I would highly recommend.

Good Anthology

A bargain anthology that includes extended selections from well-known and lesser-known Chinese works, with brief historical introductions and notes. There is a companion volume covering Indian literature.

Source Book in Chinese Philosophy

Dr. Chan was my college Asian philosophy professor so I used the book under special circumstances. As I recall, it was to be a beginning for those interested in the subject and was not intended to satisfy those further along in their studies. He was always receptive to differing views, and I think, would have been pleased to argue his points. He might be called conservative, but it was not easy for intellectuals still stuck in Mao's China as he was as a young man. He told us of having to read in the toilet so no one would know. The book is very simply written, easy for a novice to grasp and structured in such a way as to encourage discussion about the various philosophers. I recommend it for those with a budding interest in the subject. It gives a good overview and would encourage most readers to go on. No book should be read without the possibility of questioning what it contains just as no teacher should ever be regarded as the ultimate authority.

An encyclopedia of Chinese thought.

This is one of the finest works faithful to the humanist spirit of Chinese philosophy.

The best source of Chinese thought from Confucius to today

In this book, Wing-Tsit Chan examines the entire Chinese philosophical tradition, from ancient times to the rise of Communism, with a special section on Mao-Tse Tung's inspirational thought in modern China. All emphasis is laid on Chinese thought in particular, and the differences and similarites between schools of Eastern and Western thought. For anyone interested in the Chinese mind, this is the definitive book in its field.