Gongsun Long

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This is a Chinese name; the family name is Gongsun (公孫).

Gongsun Long (traditional Chinese: 公孫龍; simplified Chinese: 公孙龙; pinyin: Gōngsūn Lóng; Wade-Giles: Kung-sun Lung, ca. 325–250 BC[1][2]) was a member of the Logicians school of ancient Chinese philosophy. He also ran a school and enjoyed the support of rulers, and supported peaceful means of resolving disputes in contrast to the wars which were common in the period (the so-called Warring States Period). However, little is known about the particulars of his life, and furthermore many of his writings have been lost.[3] All of his essays, fourteen originally but only six still extant, are included in the book Gongsun Longzi (公孫龍子).

He is best known for a series of paradoxes in the tradition of Hui Shi, including "White horses are not horses," "When no thing is not the pointed-out, to point out is not to point out," and "There is no 1 in 2."

Contents

[edit] White Horse Dialogue

In the White Horse Dialogue (白馬論, Báimǎ Lùn), one interlocutor (sometimes called the "sophist") defends the truth of the statement "White horses are not horses," while the other interlocutor (sometimes called the "objector") disputes the truth of this statement. The argument plays upon an ambiguity in Chinese (which happens to also exist in English). The expression "X is not Y" (X非Y) can mean either

  1. "X is not a member (or subset) of set Y"
  2. "X is not identical with Y"

"Whales are not mammals" and "You are not a philosopher" are examples of the former use of "is not." An example of the second use of "is not" is "Jimmy Olsen is not Superman." Normally, in Chinese and English, it is clear from context which sense is intended, so we do not notice the ambiguity. So the sentence "White horses are not horses" would normally be taken to assert the obviously false claim that white horses are not part of the group of horses. However, the "sophist" in the White Horse Dialogue defends the statement under the interpretation, "White horses are not identical with horses." The latter statement is actually true, since (as the "sophist" in the dialogue explains) "horses" includes horses that are white, yellow, brown, etc., while "white horses" includes only white horses, and excludes the others.

This work has been viewed by some as a serious logical discourse, by others as a facetious work of sophistry, and finally by some as a combination of the two.[4]

[edit] Other works

  • 指物論 (Zhǐwù Lùn)
  • 通變論 (Tōngbiàn Lùn)
  • 堅白論 (Jiānbái Lùn)
  • 名實論 (Míngshí Lùn)
  • 跡府 (Jifǔ) "Storehouse of Traces"

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Zhou, Yunzhi, "Gongsun Long". Encyclopedia of China (Philosophy Edition), 1st ed.
  2. ^ Liu 2004, p. 336
  3. ^ McGreal 1995, p. 31
  4. ^ Harbsmeier, Christoph (1989). "Humor in Ancient Chinese Philosophy". Philosophy East and West 39 (3): 289. doi:10.2307/1399450. 

[edit] References

  • Graham, Angus C. (1989). 'The Sharpening of Rational Debate: The Sophists.' Pp. 75-95 in Graham, Disputers of the Tao. Chicago: Open Court Press.
  • Liu, Jianguo (2004). Distinguishing and Correcting the pre-Qin Forged Classics. Xi'an: Shaanxi People's Press. ISBN 7-224-05725-8.
  • Zhou, Yunzhi, "Gongsun Long". Encyclopedia of China (Philosophy Edition), 1st ed.

[edit] External links