Yang Zhu
E582952
Yang Zhu was an ancient Chinese philosopher associated with early individualist and hedonist thought, often portrayed as emphasizing self-preservation and personal well-being over social or political obligations.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
ancient Chinese philosopher
ⓘ
historical figure ⓘ person ⓘ philosopher ⓘ |
| alternativeName | Yangzi NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| alternativeTransliteration | Yang Chu NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
critique of sacrificial altruism
ⓘ
doctrine of “wei wo” (for myself) ⓘ |
| contemporaryOf |
Mencius
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Mozi NERFINISHED ⓘ early Daoist thinkers ⓘ |
| culturalContext | pre-Qin Hundred Schools of Thought NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| dateOfBirth | unknown ⓘ |
| dateOfDeath | unknown ⓘ |
| era |
Classical Chinese philosophy
ⓘ
Warring States period NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| ethicalFocus | individual life and bodily integrity ⓘ |
| fieldOfWork | philosophy ⓘ |
| gender | male ⓘ |
| historicity | partly reconstructed from later sources ⓘ |
| influenced |
Yangism
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
later discussions of individualism in Chinese philosophy ⓘ |
| influencedBy | pre-Qin intellectual milieu ⓘ |
| knownFor |
early individualist thought in China
ⓘ
emphasis on personal well-being ⓘ emphasis on self-preservation ⓘ hedonist ethical views ⓘ |
| legacy |
considered one of the “heretical” schools by some Confucian critics
ⓘ
important reference point in debates on egoism in Chinese thought ⓘ |
| movement |
Chinese philosophy
ⓘ
hedonism ⓘ individualism ⓘ |
| nameInChineseCharacters | 楊朱 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| nationality | Chinese ⓘ |
| philosophicalSchool | Yangism NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| placeOfBirth | ancient China ⓘ |
| portrayedAs |
advocate of extreme self-interest in Mencius
ⓘ
more nuanced hedonist in Liezi ⓘ |
| portrayedIn |
Liezi
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Mencius NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| positionOnEthics |
advocated enjoyment of life within natural limits
ⓘ
prioritized self-interest over altruistic duty ⓘ |
| positionOnHumanNature | saw self-preservation as fundamental ⓘ |
| positionOnPolitics | skeptical of political and social obligations ⓘ |
| viewOnGovernment | suspicious of state demands that override personal welfare ⓘ |
| viewOnPleasure | endorsed moderate, natural pleasures ⓘ |
| viewOnSacrifice | opposed sacrificing one’s body or life for external causes ⓘ |
| works | no extant texts reliably authored by him ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.