Essays on Some Argumentations of the Intellectuals in the Late Ming Dynasty

Huang Zongxi once described the late Ming period as an era of "heaven-collapsing and earth-shattering," tremendously marked by a vibrant and peculiar intellectual landscape. In particular, Wang Yangming's “innate knowledge” (liangzhi) had a profound influence on late Ming thinkers, as well as spurring contentious debates and discussions surrounding its nature, methods, and judging criteria regarding historical conventions or self-awareness.

 

This book includes eleven essays focusing on the relationship between late Ming scholarship and intellectuals, as well as the transmission and evolution of thought. In addition to the influence of Wang Yangming's philosophy, it also encompasses other related issues and insightful discussions.