Reviews for Studies in Chinese philosophy and philosophical literature

The average rating for Studies in Chinese philosophy and philosophical literature based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2021-01-15 00:00:00 Anthony Consiglio Ji Kang (rendered in Wade Giles as Hsi K'ang) was one of the Seven sages of the Bamboo grove (Ji was kind of the de facto 'leader'), a group of philosophers who wanted to distance themselves from the unsteady political situation of 3rd century China, and so isolated themselves in the titular copse to write poetry, essays, and musical compositions. I've searched for English translations from this seminal group, but it wasn't until I found Robert Henricks' book that I thought any existed. This volume is a good introduction to Ji's philosophy, much of which is underpinned by daoism, as were many of the Sages in the grove. A lot of the essays are great reads in themselves, although the final to-and-fro essay exchange on fate and divination between Ji Kang and debater Ruan Kan really does tire after the third rebuttal...* It almost becomes comical, indeed: Henricks does point out that Ruan Kan might never have existed, and is in fact another pen-name of Ji. English translations of writings written by the Seven Sages of the Bamboo grove are rare, and Henricks' translation of Ji Kang's philosophical essays is duly appreciated. *It starts with Ruan's "Residence if Devoid of Good and Bad Fortune", is followed by Ji's "A Refutation of Ruan Kan's Essay -- Residence is devoid of...", which is followed by Ruan's "An explanation to Ji Kang's Refutation of My Essay -- Residence if devoid of..", which is then succeeded by Ji's "An Answer to Ruan Kan's Explanation to My Refutation of His Essay -- Residence is devoid of..." (Incredible)

Review # 2 was written on 2013-08-10 00:00:00 Eugene Carlisle Fantastic text. As a final year student of TCM this text has opened my eyes to very deep healing far beyond patients chief complaints. Grateful for the wisdom and the fantastic read!