The debate over whether the ancient Chinese masters can be counted as philosophers has been discussed since the academic study of philosophy was introduced in China in the 19th century.p. 3, Defoort, Carine, and Ge Zhaoguang. "Editors' Introduction." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print. Cultural immersion in the West by figures such as Hu Shih and Feng Youlan led to an increased interest in a Chinese philosophy and stimulated the creation of this field which had not yet been labeled nor discussed as such until this point.p. 4, Defoort, Carine, and Ge Zhaoguang. "Editors' Introduction." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print.
冯友兰 (Feng Youlan) made a distinction between 中国的哲学 (the philosophical studies of China) and 中国土上的本土哲学 (indigenous philosophy from Chinese soil). The debates over the legitimacy of Chinese philosophy primarily concern the indigenous philosophy of China. They range in their central focus: whether the discipline of "philosophy" existed in traditional Chinese thought; whether the subjects and issues involved in the discipline existed in Chinese thought; and whether the now established discipline of Chinese philosophy can be truly be considered Chinese. These contentions have led to larger discussions about the nature of philosophy and its discipline.
Confucian Orthodoxy Confucian orthodoxy (Dao tong, 道統) is a historical conception of the "history of Chinese philosophy". It is a conception different from western philosophy emphasizing a continuous transmission of teachings.
Academic Discipline of Chinese Philosophy The discipline of philosophy did not enter China until the 19th century. Nishi Amane, a Japanese scholar, first translated the term "philosophy" into Chinese as zhexue (wisdom learning) in 1873. Though he originally coined this term solely to refer to the concept of Western Philosophy, the argument posed was that the nature of the discipline of philosophy was in a constant flux, creating an opening for the realm of Chinese philosophy. After the Western infusion at the turn of the 20th century, an emulation of the Western educational system and its way of categorization spread through China.p.69, Gan, Chunsong. "Changing from Choice of Methods to Question Awareness: An Interpretation of the Question of the “Legitimacy of Chinese Philosophy." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print. While ancient Chinese education had been based on ethical education, after the Opium War the educational system was considered an obstruction in the realization of Chinese potential.p.81, Gan, Chunsong. "Changing from Choice of Methods to Question Awareness: An Interpretation of the Question of the “Legitimacy of Chinese Philosophy." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print. The Dao tong (Confucian orthodoxy) was refashioned into the "history of Chinese philosophy".p.69, Qiao, Qingju. "Western Discourse and Shadows in the Legitimacy Crisis of Chinese Philosophy." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.3 (2006). Print.
The Chinese philosophy of the past included classical learning (jinxue), the learning of the ancient masters (zhuzixue) speculative learning (xuanxue), Buddhist learning, and learning of principle (lixue). While all these branches share common elements with Western philosophy, it was decided that these were not philosophy in their original state. Hence, there was the subsequent distillation by later scholars using Western notions to form a history of Chinese philosophy.p.35, Yu, Xuanmeng. "On the New Round of Comparative Studies of Chinese and Western Philosophical Types." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.3 (2006). Print.
The Rules for Colleges and Universities in 1903 divided academic subjects into disciplines, with classics as one of these disciplines. By 1913, the discipline of classical studies was dropped.p.82, Gan, Chunsong. "Changing from Choice of Methods to Question Awareness: An Interpretation of the Question of the “Legitimacy of Chinese Philosophy." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print. There were no divisions of scholarship based on the nature of knowledge in China prior to Western importation.p. 63, Hu, Jun. "The Legitimacy of the Discussions on the “Legitimacy” of “Chinese Philosophy." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.3 (2006). Print. By 1914, Beijing University created a Division of Chinese Philosophy, and in 1919, Cai Yuanpei, the new president, changed the name to the Department of Philosophy.p.13, Zheng, Jiadong. "The Issue of the “Legitimacy” of Chinese Philosophy." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print. This marked the start of the new academic discipline of Chinese Philosophy.
Chinese philosophy developed under the paradigm of Western philosophy, rather than the other way around, because of the prevalent view in the early twentieth century of the superiority of Western culture. With advanced military, technology, and a wider dissemination of culture, Western systems of knowledge attained a "universal" quality that relegated Chinese paradigms as "local particularities". Yet because any global contact will most likely stimulate change, the transformation of traditional Chinese academics can be seen as both an imposition by the West, as well as a conscious choice by the Chinese to move towards a seemingly inevitable direction.
Arguments Against the Legitimacy of Chinese Philosophy
Misinterpretation of Chinese Thought The lack of a formal system in traditional Chinese philosophy motivates the creation of a "systemic overcoat". There is no historical narrative in Chinese philosophy similar to the one that exists in Western philosophy.p.15, Zheng, Jiadong. "The Issue of the “Legitimacy” of Chinese Philosophy." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print. The material studied under the discipline of Chinese philosophy had been sifted in the early 20th century from the paradigms of classics, poetry, masters, and collected writings to create this field.p.19, Zheng, Jiadong. "The Issue of the “Legitimacy” of Chinese Philosophy." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print. The academic philosophical model that is applied now to this discipline appeared only after Hu Shih's "Outline of the History of Chinese Philosophy" and Feng Youlan's "History of Chinese Philosophy".p.64, Jing, Haifeng. "From “Philosophy” to “Chinese Philosophy”: Preliminary Thoughts in a Postcolonial Linguistic Context." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print.
Both Feng Youlan and Hu Shih comprehended the lack of narrative in Chinese thought and thus proceeded to create a categorization that mirrored that of the Western paradigm. However, by preformatting the outline and selectively choosing material that fit, they presented a warped version of the original.p.66, Jing, Haifeng. "From “Philosophy” to “Chinese Philosophy”: Preliminary Thoughts in a Postcolonial Linguistic Context." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print. An accurate understanding of these texts is impossible because the original context has become obscured. The overcoat may express the concepts of Western philosophy that are present in Chinese thought, but in the process it causes an abstraction from the reality these concepts were couched in originally.p.49, Ge, Zhaoguang. "Why Is It the “History of Thought”?: Reflections on the “Chinese Philosophy” Issue." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print.
Some argue that Chinese thought cannot be translated into Western jargon, when the philosophical method of the West is used to interpret the non-philosophical texts of China. There are systematic differences in expression between Eastern thought and Western philosophy that prevent comparisons between the two.p.11, Zheng, Jiadong. "The Issue of the “Legitimacy” of Chinese Philosophy." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print. Some scholars would rather prefer the use of only terminology native to Chinese philosophy to research the history of Chinese philosophy, but others object on the basis of academic diversification.p.73, Qiao, Qingju. "Western Discourse and Shadows in the Legitimacy Crisis of Chinese Philosophy." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.3 (2006). Print. Moreover, the explanation of Chinese philosophy with Chinese terms excludes those without a highly specialized and advanced education in this field. The use of Western terminology allows for a facilitated and more widespread understanding of Chinese philosophy.p.74, Qiao, Qingju. "Western Discourse and Shadows in the Legitimacy Crisis of Chinese Philosophy." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.3 (2006). Print. Still, the danger remains that the continued use of Western discourse will suppress the voices of Chinese scholars and allow the West to retain its dominant position over the East.p.66, Peng, Yongjie. "On the Legitimacy Crisis of the Discipline Known as “Chinese Philosophy: An Epistemological-Sociological Examination." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.2 (2005-6). Print.
Zhang Dainian argues that the overcoat does not harm the inner content; that the cleavage does not destroy the content.p.21, Zheng, Jiadong. "The Issue of the “Legitimacy” of Chinese Philosophy." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print. Although there are concepts and principles in Chinese philosophy that do not come up in Western philosophy (and vice versa), until there can be a definitive interpretation of the text, a systematic overcoat cannot really be said to confuse the material.p.16, Zheng, Jiadong. "The Issue of the “Legitimacy” of Chinese Philosophy." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print.
The different natures of ancient Chinese thought, modern Chinese thought, and Western philosophy The early pioneers of the field of Chinese philosophy (Fu Sinian, Cai Yuanpei, Zhang Taiyan, Hu Shih) acknowledged the distinctive origin of Chinese thought as Dao Shu (Dao craft) and its implicit difference from Western philosophy. Yet, they also conceded that at that point in time, the Western mode of thought was the only method to convey Chinese philosophy.p.46, Ge, Zhaoguang. "Why Is It the “History of Thought”?: Reflections on the “Chinese Philosophy” Issue." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print. Along the same vein, a few decades prior to Fu Sinian and Hu Shih's studies there were similar ideas forming in Japan, particularly among the intellectual society known as the Meiji Six Society, as they attempted to introduce Western philosophy to Japan in order to bridge the intellectual gap between the East and the West.
Now modern philosophical scholars, when referencing these ancient texts in their own work, reconstruct these studies and create a logical system that do not retain the spirit of these works. There is a dispute over whether the retention of the traditional Chinese spirit is necessary for the label of Chinese philosophy.p.5, Defoort, Carine, and Ge Zhaoguang. "Editors' Introduction." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.1 (2005). Print.
Even modern Western philosophers are in stark contrast with ancient Greek philosophers, demonstrating the nonexistence of a universal philosophy. The two forms of contemporary philosophy are analytical philosophy and continental philosophy, both of which differ greatly from traditional Western philosophy.p.36, Yu, Xuanmeng. "On the New Round of Comparative Studies of Chinese and Western Philosophical Types." Contemporary Chinese Thought 37.3 (2006). Print. The modern logical reasoning system of Western philosophy renders it closer to the sciences, while Chinese philosophy stems from history and can be considered a religion.
Scholars whose studies involve an examination of Western philosophy have concluded that the presence of ontology is what makes Western philosophy distinct. However, ontology is not present in traditional Chinese philosophy, which again brings up the issue of whether to the term "philosophy" is appropriate.
Political, psychological, and nationalistic motivations
Blind veneration of the West