Philosophy 153

The goal of the course is to introduce the three main traditions of thought in China – Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism – through a study of selected texts. We will begin with a study of early Chinese thought, with focus on Confucianism (Confucius, Mencius, Xunzi) and Daoism (Zhuangzi), though there will also be references to other schools of thought, including Moism (Mozi) and Yangism (Yang Zhu). We will then move on to a study of Neo-Daoist thought (Guo Xiang) and Chan (or Zen) Buddism (The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch), focusing on two representative thinkers/texts. While we will attend closely to the primary texts (in English translation), the emphasis is on philosophical ideas in the texts.