In 2013, the present scientific monograph was ranked among the outstanding scientific achievements in the field of humanities from the year 2012 by the Slovene Research Agency (ARRS). Traditional Chinese philosophy had developed a paradigm of theoretical epistemology based on the concept of structure, or the assumption of a structurally ordered world, an idea which is reflected in most classical Chinese philosophical works. Hence, this structural cosmic order is not only a foundation of Chinese epistemology, but also constitutes a basic paradigm of classical Chinese philosophy as such. The book explores and highlights this paradigm which, however, can only be properly understood based on the application of research methods rooted in categorical applications and semantic developments originating within that same classical Chinese philosophical tradition. The structural understanding of the cosmos, and all that exists within it and forms a vital part of it, is a specific feature of the classical Chinese holistic worldview. The interconnection between all the factors of being forms a system which is based upon a structural order. This basic structure, however, is not merely a static formal system which prefigures and conditions the composition of the universe, but also represents an organic and vital formation. As a dynamic organism that pervades everything that exists, it is therefore systemically compatible not only with all the inanimate objects contained within it, in accordance with the rational, structural patterns of the universe, but also with the organic constitution of living beings that form its vital natural parts. However, the structure of existence which manifests itself in this paradigm is also conditioned by another important aspect, given that its system, which is based upon an ontological duality of immanent metaphysics (including, as it does, both the ideal principles as well as the concrete particulars of existence), is also infinite and therefore open. This is precisely why the traditional Chinese worldview is not, in essence, deterministic, for everything that exists, forms part of a structure that exceeds the conditions of its concrete actuality.
COBISS.SI-ID: 49541986
The philosophical current of Modern Confucianism (xin ruxue) was mainly developed during the 20th Century in Taiwan and Hong Kong, but also gained a wide spread popularity in most of the other East Asian societies that were traditionally influenced by Confucian thought, as for example Japan and South Korea. It forms the most influential and important stream of thought in contemporary East Asian theory and represents a crucial part of new prevailing ideologies in the P.R. China. It is defined by a search for synthesis between Western and traditional East Asian thought, aiming to elaborate a system of ideas and values, suitable to resolve social and political problems of the modern, globalized world. Thus, the present book is not only focused upon the main Modern Confucian philosophical approaches, ideas and methods. It furthermore also illuminates the political, social and ideological backgrounds of the so called Confucian revival on the one hand, and its inherent connection to the ideological foundations of East Asian modernity on the other. The present book can tell us a lot about our times – and the fate in the contemporary societies of one of the most important philosophical legacies in the world. Its main approach will furthermore enable us to inquire into the place of the so-called “Non-Western” intellectual traditions in the contemporary discourses on philosophy and culture.
COBISS.SI-ID: 267091200
The encounter, both direct and indirect, with the West at the turn of the 20th century, led to a profound crisis in Chinese art. Many young artists went abroad to study Western art in order to reform traditional Chinese painting, which was often accused of being rigid, lacking perspective and creativity, and thus unsuited to portraying the contemporary world. It was during this period that the celebrated Beijing painter, Chen Shizeng, in a famous essay proposed the “theory of subjectivity” in defence of literati painting, imbued with Confucian tradition. Taking that essay as a point of departure, and through the exploration of Western–Sino–Japanese interactions in artistic trends, the present paper seeks to explain why many Chinese Westernised artists identified with Western avant-garde movements instead of its academic tradition of realism, even though the latter had been vigorously promoted by leading scholars in art education, such as Cai Yuanpei, Chen Duxiu and Xu Beihong. This phenomenon can also be understood as a positive reply to Chen`s theory of subjectivity, in which, based on its elements of self-expressionism and subjectivism, he compared literati painting with Western modern –'isms', finding more affinities than differences between them.
COBISS.SI-ID: 35517997
Extensive first-hand research in the field of Taiwan's diplomacy toward former Yugoslavia and its successor states. The research provides a systematic analysis of major external and internal influences that have shaped Taiwan government's foreign policy in the post-Yugoslav region by employing four basic levels of analysis – the system, the state, the societal and the individual level. It offers a comprehensive insight into Taiwan’s diplomatic offensive in former Yugoslavia. Systematic analysis of key factors of influence on Taiwan government foreign policy visibly reflects the relation between hard and soft power and the influence of politico-economic and normative forces. The scientific monograph derives from doctoral dissertation, which is based on 4-year research work conducted in Taiwan and in 2009 received the eminent National Sun Yat-Sen University's award for an outstanding achievement (classification E02 international awards, COBISS.SI-ID 42085474).
COBISS.SI-ID: 41116258
This is a critical edition of a rare subcommentary from the 12th century on the Anguttara Nikaya, an important component of the Pali Buddhist Canon. The book is based on the discovery (in 2003) of a rare manuscript held in Yangoon, Myanmar, which had been considered “lost” or “non-existent” by modern Pali scholarship. This manuscript was microfilmed and edited, together with late Primoz Pecenko, and critically examined and analysed against the existing commentarial literature of Theravada Buddhist tradition. The research indicates a radically new views on the structure of the subcommentaries on the first four Nikayas: instead of one set of subcommentaries, as previously accepted, two different sets were in fact compiled at least three centuries apart—and they are still in existence at present. This research clearly shows that both the Theravada tradition as well as the modern Pali scholarship have ignored many texts in manuscript form which are still available today. These texts are a very important missing link in Pali textual transmission and give new information about the transmission of Pali canon over a period of more than three hundred years which has not been researched before.
COBISS.SI-ID: 51283298