Humanity And Nature

The focus of the comparison between Plutarch and Zhang Zai is the relationship between cosmology and ethics.This thesis investigates,in the thoughts of the two philosophers,how the structure of the cosmos influences the structure of man and the achievement of ethical virtue.In particular,the focus of the comparison is the two philosophers’ conception of the obstacle of ethical virtue,namely matter and“physical nature”,and its role in the structure of the cosmos and man.The aim of this research is to provide a starting point for more systematic future studies on the comparison between the two authors and between the categories of Greek and Chinese philosophy.The thesis consists of two parts.The first part analyzes and compares the cosmology of the two philosophers.They think that the cosmos is composed of three different planes.In Plutarch each plan is associated with a different substance,i.e.intellect,soul and body;according to Zhang Zai,each plan corresponds to a different state of the same substance,i.e.qi without form,qi with ideal form and qi with physical form.In their philosophies,the relationship between the three plans of reality is explained through two pairs of categories,matter and form in Plutarch,substance(体)and function(用)in Zhang Zai.The opposition within these two pairs of categories produces a cosmos based on dualism.For Plutarch,it is an absolute and radical dualism,while for Zhang Zai it is relative.Since in Plutarch’s philosophy matter does not denote a substance but a function,it is compared with Zhang Zai’s conception of function(用),because they have the same role in the two systems.The second part analyzes and compares the structure of man and the end of ethics.Both philosophers believe that man is a miniature cosmos,because it is composed of three parts,each corresponding to one of the three planes of universe.Therefore the relationship between the different parts of man can be explained by the category of form/matter and substance/function.The purpose of ethics is the return of the individual to the highest level of cosmos.For Plutarch this means that each man should attempt to assimilate to God,for Zhang Zai it means that man should reach the unity with the Heaven.In the the achievement of that purpose,passions respectively have the role of matter and function.In one respect,passions are necessary components of ethical virtue,in another respect,they can hinder it.To overcome the obstacle of passions,Plutarch believes that human soul has to produce a middle passion,according to Zhang Zai it is necessary that the heart is in the center,namely it is impartial.The concepts of middle and center produce the virtue and reproduce the process of generation of the cosmos on a human level.