Zhang Xuecheng
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Zhang Xuecheng(章学诚, 1738–1801) was a Qing Dynasty historian, writer and philosopher. His magnum opus is On Literature and History (《文史通义》), which was published posthumously in 1832. In Zhang's view, Confucianism developed over time in response to the concrete needs of the people for social organization. This developmental view contrasts with the view of the Neo-Confucians that Confucianism is the expression of timeless "principles" or "patterns" that are inherent in the human heart. Zhang's most famous quotation is that "the six classics are all history" 六经皆史. This means that the canonical texts of Confucianism are not to be understood as repositories of timeless wisdom, but as records of the actions and words of the sages in response to specific historical contexts.
Further reading
- Ivanhoe, Philip J., trans. (2009). On Ethics and History: Essays and Letters of Zhang Xuecheng. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-6128-0.
References
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