A Philosophy Resulting From A Synthesis Of Various Philosophies

This dissertation deals with Zhang Dainian's philosophy embodied mainly in his Five Treatises on Nature and Man. It is a result of a creative synthesis of various philosophies. Five treatises are not finished works by Zhang Dainian. Therefore, it is not very clear to many who are interested in Zhang Dainian's thought, that what kind of philosophy that Zhang Dainian wants to accomplish, and further, how Zhang Dainian creatively synthesizes various intellectual resources from different philosophical traditions, etc.. In this dissertation, I will try to delineate the outline of Zhang Dainian's philosophy by focusing on his thoughts on metaphysics, methodology and philosophy of life, and try to designate specifically how he creatively synthesizes various philosophical ideas in those areas.The notion of creative synthesis of various philosophies is anteceded by the conception of creative synthesis of various cultures. The conception of creative synthesis of various cultures was Zhang Dainian's contribution to the debate over Chinese and Western cultures in 1930's. It is an aufheben of the School of Total Westernization and the School of Oriental Culture. The conception of creative synthesis of various cultures constitutes the background of the notion of creative synthesis of various philosophies. The latter is the prolongation and deepening of the former.Zhang Dainian claims that the creation of a new philosophy is based upon the emergence of a new methodology. Zhang Dainian's methodology can be described as the unity of three elements: erlebnis, analysis and integration. The unity of erlebnis, analysis and integration is Zhang Dainian's unique approach to methodical problems, as compared with that of the Qinghua School of Realism, of New Materialism and of Contemporary Neo-Confucianism.Zhang Dainian's understanding of ultimate reality (ben ti) is distinctive in hismetaphysics. His notion of ultimate reality is a unity of principle (li) and matter (wu), and a unity of "the ultimate" (ben) and "the ideal" (zhi). It is a creative synthesis of various conceptions of ultimate reality in Chinese and Western philosophies. It reflects his attempt to transcend both Qinghua School of Realism and his contemporary New Materialism.The central thesis of Zhang Dainian's philosophy of life is "to increase vitality in order to reach the ideal sphere of living "(chong sheng yi da li) .The essence of life consists in the process of overcoming various tensions and contradictions in life by increasing man's vitality to realize the ideal of life. It advocates the unity of virtue and power and emphasizes the importance of knowledge and action. It is a process of Dynamic Unity of Man and Nature in contrast to the Static Unity of Man and Nature which is characteristic of traditional Confucianism. It is a creative synthesis of various philosophies of life in Western philosophy and Chinese philosophy.