Title

Tang Chun-I on Affective Communion and Spiritual Realm: a Guiding Clue for Topology

Author

Huang, Kuan-min  

Genre

Article  

Pages

335-373  

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese  

Key words

essential feeling, cultivation, correspondence, value, stratum

Abstract

         Basing ourselves on Tang Chun-I 唐君毅 (1909-1978)’s last work, Existence of Life and Spiritual Realm 生命存在與心靈境界(1977), we investigate the key place of affective communion within the philosophical construction of Tang’s system. The mutual relationship between spirit (mind) and spiritual realm (jing-jie 境界) are constructed according to the principle of affective communion. The interest here resides in the existential modes and practices of life. In this sense, Tang’s philosophical system touches on the tension between cultivation and philosophy in the practical domain; this tension leads dialectically to the metaphysical world exposed by the cultivation of essential feelings and affective communion. The relationship among spirit, affective communion, and spiritual realm is that of substance, function, and mode, while the dynamic process implied in the affective communion covers the epistemological action and leads to a metaphysical principle of moral foundation. Last, this paper shows that the term jing-jie refers to a spiritual space which will establish
different values. Giving value means also a placement of values. Therefore, the spiritual space is a place due to affective communion, and values are arranged according to the places thus disposed.