Animal and the Daemon in Early Chi (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780791452707)

Exploring the cultural perception of animals in early Chinese thought, this careful reading of Warring States and Han dynasty writings analyzes how views of animals were linked to human self perception and investigates the role of the animal world in the conception of ideals of sagehood and socio-political authority. Roel Sterckx shows how perceptions of the animal world influenced early Chinese views of man's place among the living species and in the world at large. He argues that the classic Chinese perception of the world did not insist on clear categorical or ontological boundaries between animals, humans, and other creatures such as ghosts and spirits. Instead the animal realm was positioned as part of an organic whole and the mutual relationships among the living species--both as natural and cultural creatures--were characterized as contingent, continuous, and interdependent.

Author: Roel Sterckx
ISBN-10: 0791452700
ISBN-13: 9780791452707
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Language: English
Published: 04/11/2002
Pages: 385
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.12lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.02w x 0.82d