The most outstanding example of this preoccupation is to be...

The most outstanding example of this preoccupation is to be found in Confucianism. “A great deal of Con­fucianism,” Fung Yu‑lan asserts, “is the rational justification or theoretical expression of this social system.”[^6] The mental outlook of the Chinese farmer as well as his values tended to limit the range of philosophical speculation. “The way of life of the farmers is to follow nature.

They admire nature and condemn the artificial, and in their primitivity and innocence, they are easily made content. They desire no change, nor can they conceive of any change.”[^7] Here one may discern the source of strength of much of Chinese classical philosophy as well as its weakness. It reflected the attitudes, interests, pre­judices, and values of the Chinese peasant.

A study of classical Chinese philosophy discloses that it possesses at least four highly distinctive features which may be a reflection of the dominance of this peasant mentality: lack of…