The Way of Water and Sprouts of Virtue
by Sarah Allan
State University of New York Press, Albany, New York, 1997 181 pages
If water is the root metaphor of Chinese philosophy, then we must understand how the ancient Chinese thought about water in order to understand the implications of particular philosophical terms and how these terms are interrelated. Our first problem then is not the analysis of abstract ideas, but the concrete question of how the philosophers perceived water. How did early Chinese philosophers describe water? What language did they use and what were the attributes they assigned to it? What was the significance of these attributes? After investigating the meanings which the philosophers attached to water in its various forms in this chapter, we will then turn to the meaning of the philosophical concepts that share the language and characteristics associated with water. If my hypothesis is correct, then the meanings of particular conceptual terms will correspond to their metaphoric roots. Furthermore, the interrelationships between the terms should reflect the structures of the metaphor. (
p.31)
-- quote submitted by Jennifer Knight
To visit the blog and see more reviews and quotes from books in the collection of Center for Sacred Sciences' Library, click here https://centerforsacredscienceslibrary.blogspot.com