Compiled byCharles K. H. Chen. Hanover: OrientalSociety, 1969. 516 pp. $7.
Included in this volume are some of the most significant of Professor Wing-tsit Chan's essays, articles contributed to encyclopedias, and book reviews. The book comprises two parts: one English and one Chinese. I was surprised to find that the essays in Chinese were not listed in the Contents of the English, likewise the essays in English were not entered in the Contents of the Chinese. The English section is about four times as large as the Chinese part. In fact some of his Chinese essays are either variations or translations of the English originals. In the English part there is a complete list of Professor Chan's publications up to the present time, while in the Chinese portion there is a chronological biography of Professor Chan compiled by Mr. Chen.
When one goes through Professor Chan's essays, one cannot but be impressed by his extensive scholarship and lucid English expression. Especially significant is the developmental method he employs. In such essays as "The Evolution of the Confucian Concept of Jen" and "The Evolution of the Neo-Confucian Concept of Li as Principle," he takes great pains to trace the development and growth of such key concepts as Jen (humanity) and Li (principle) in Chinese philosophy from ancient to modern times. The successful application of this method has decisively disposed of the myth that Chinese philosophy has ceased to develop or grow since the late Chou period.
In his essays Professor Chan also shows that he has been able to adopt proper historical perspectives and make sound judgments. For example, in his discussions of Neo-Confucian philosophy, he rightly points out that this philosophy has been profoundly influenced by Buddhism and Taoism. But he also hastens to emphasize that this does not mean that basic Neo-Confucian philosophical concepts in essence are not to be distinguished from Buddhist or Taoist philosophical concepts.
I would like to question, however, Professor Chan's judgment that K'ang Yu-wei (1858-1927) was a great Confucian philosopher in the modern period. K'ang has attempted to identify Jen with the power of attraction, or ether, or electricity. I think this is due to K'ang's failure to distinguish between the scientific and the metaphysical levels of problems. We must make distinction between what is living and what is dead in Confucian thought. As far as I can see, the novelty in K'ang's thought had already died with the fashions of his days. Since K'ang did not make any really significant contributions to the Confucian concept of Jen, he did not deserve to be included in the list of great Confucian philosophers.
On the whole Professor Chan has adopted a scholarly rather than a philosophical approach. With the benefit of extensive scholarly work accomplished by such eminent scholars as Professor Chan, however, it is my hope to see a new generation of scholars devoting themselves more to the philosophical aspect of the problem.
Mr. Liu is a member of the Department ofPhilosophy at Southern Illinois University.