Brook Ziporyn's *Beyond Oneness and Difference* traces the evolution of the Chinese concept of *Li*, demonstrating its complex and often contradictory implications as oneness and difference, knowable and transcendent, good and beyond good/bad, and order and omnipresence. The book builds upon its companion volume, *Ironies of Oneness and Difference*, which analyzed Confucian and Daoist approaches to coherence, order, and value. This volume focuses on how *Li* developed within Neo-Daoist metaphysics and Chinese Buddhism, eventually becoming central to Song and Ming dynasty Neo-Confucianism, the dominant ideology of late imperial China.
By examining *Li*'s trajectory, Ziporyn reveals unexpected possibilities in human thought regarding fundamental categories of ontology, metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Readers gain insight into how this crucial concept shaped Chinese intellectual history, challenging conventional Western philosophical dichotomies and revealing a broader spectrum of understanding in these core areas of inquiry.
Key concepts
- Li — A key concept in Chinese intellectual history with seemingly conflicting implications, representing oneness and differentiation, the knowable and what transcends knowledge, the good and the transcendence of good and…
- Neo-Daoist metaphysics — The philosophical framework within which *Li* developed, contributing to its complex implications.
- Chinese Buddhism — A major influence on the development and understanding of *Li* in Chinese thought.
- Song and Ming dynasty Neo-Confucianism — The orthodox ideology of late imperial China where *Li* became foundational.
- Coherence, order, and value — Core ideas analyzed in Confucian and Daoist traditions, serving as precursors to the examination of *Li*.