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Aristotle and Confucius

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2009

Max Hamburger
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Extract

“The composition of the lectures of which Aristotle's extant works are the notes probably belongs in the main to the twelve or thirteen years of tail headship of the Lyceum, and the thought and research implied, even if we suppose that some of the spadework was done for him by pupils, implies an energy of mind which is perhaps unparalleled. During this time Aristotle fixed the main outlines of the classification of the sciences in the form which they still retain, and carried most of the sciences to a further point than they had hitherto reached; in some of them, such as logic, he may fairly claim to have had no predecessor, and for centuries no worthy successor…one of the greatest of analytic thinkers. “SIR W. DAVID ROSS, Aristotle.

Type
Articles
Information
Philosophy , Volume 31 , Issue 119 , October 1956 , pp. 324 - 357
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Philosophy 1956

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References

page 326 note 1 Professor Toynbee uses the term “Hellenic-Civilization” as a major term comprising both “Hellenic” and Hellenistic Civilization and “Roman” (or Graeco-Roman) civilization. This can only be accepted as a convenient simplification. For as much as Roman civilization was intellectually and spiritually indebted to Hellenic-Hellenistic Civilization, Roman Civilization and its lasting achievements such as Roman law and Administration in spite of Hellenic influences were basically Roman and nothing else in contrast to the incapability of the Hellenes for securing peace and order in the confines of their confederation of little Greek states.

page 327 note 1 We may here safely disregard Aristophanes’ Clouds, since that comedy only gives a rather distorted picture of Socrates, characterizing him as some sort of Sophist who misguided the youth. Still Aristophanes’ picture of Socrates as rendered in the Cloudsin a way constituted the basis of Socrates’ trial and condemnation in 399 B.C.

page 332 note 1 As to Plato, the author of this essay would refer the reader to SirRoss, David, Aristotle Selections, New York, 1938, p. XIII as quoted below, p. 344.Google Scholar

page 339 note 1 Nor is this basic approach impaired by the latest publication on Confucianism which came to this author's attention only while his essay was in the press: I mean LIU WU-CHI's A Short History of Confucian Philosophy.A Pelican Book, 1955, which is still representative of the above criticized method of “Hypercriticism by Dissection and Stratification.”

Dr. Wu-Chi's, LiuConfucius, His Life and Time(New York, April 1956) was published too late for consideration in this article.Google Scholar