The Concrete Universal in Mou Zongsan’s Philosophy
Vol. 49 No. 1 3/2019
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Title |
The Concrete Universal in Mou Zongsan’s Philosophy |
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Author |
Shi Wei-min |
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Genre |
Article |
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Pages |
125-149 |
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Download |
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Language |
Chinese |
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Key words |
Mou Zongsan 牟宗三, the concrete universal, the original heart, moral metaphysics, moral action |
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Abstract |
The “concrete universal” is a key concept in Mou Zongsan’s 牟宗三 (1909-1995) philosophy. Mou makes use of this concept in his metaphysics, ethics and philosophy of history. According to Mou, concrete universality is an attribute of the original heart as a spiritual substance. The original heart is universal since it is the faculty that initiates moral actions in response to individual situations. It is concrete in that it has a determinate content only in its response to a given situation. However, Mou also characterizes the original heart as a concrete universal because every individual person displays the original heart in his own way and in a different degree. Rooted in Mou’s moral metaphysics, the idea that the original heart is a concrete universal implies a specific doctrine of moral action. |