Breves apontamentos sobre a gestação da “Filosofia chinesa” na China da década de 1920 e a trajetória do jovem Feng Youlan (1895-1933)

Brief notes about the gestation of the “Chinese Philosophy” in China during the 1920s and young Feng Youlan’s career (1895-1933)

Abstract

This paper discusses the gestation of “Chinese Philosophy” as an academic discipline in China during the 1920s, taking the professional and intellectual career of the young Feng Youlan as case study. It argues that “Chinese Philosophy” is part
of a wider debate about the Chinese “New Culture” and cannot be separated from the pursuit of personal influence by its participants. The text is divided into five sections. The first outlines the question of how “Chinese Philosophy”, understood as
an academic discipline, is related to the broad situation of the intellectuals during the 1920s, who can be schematically classified as “progressists” and “ traditionalists”. The second section analyzes the case of the History of Chinese Philosophy – a Coursebook, work of the “progressist” Hu Shi, which is the first attempt to elaborate the subject in China. The third section reports the reactions of two “traditionalist” intellectuals, Zhang Taiyan and Liang Qichao. The fourth and fifth sections deal with Feng Youlan, firstly describing his professional development and, then focusing on his intellectual trajectory. We argue that both dimensions cannot be separated and, together, explain the motives for him to have, successfully, created the first complete account of the modern “Chinese Philosophy”.

Keywords: Chinese Philosophy; Feng Youlan; New Culture; Intellectuals.