2023-02-08

Ando Shöeki's Agrarian Utopianism: An East Asian Philosophical Contextualization.

Source: Taiwan Journal of East Asian Studies . Jun2013, Vol. 10 Issue 1, p53-86. 34p.
Author(s): TUCKER, John A.

Abstract: This paper seeks to interpret the often enigmatic ideas of Ando Shoeki 1 M (1703-1762) in relation to an interpretive field broader than that of Japanese traditions.
Simply put, this paper attempts to contextualize Shoeki's thinking within East Asian philosophical contexts.
The paper suggests that three classical Chinese philosophical texts are exceptionally pertinent for understanding the theoretical foundations of Shoeki's ideas.
These texts also shed light on why Shoeki's thought achieved some cultural broadcast, greater or lesser, in his day and thereafter.
The three texts, fairly well known throughout Japanese history among the educated elite, are:
1). a Daoist classic, the Zhuangzi (J: Söshi), especially its "Yangist" and "primitivists" writings;
2). the masterwork of the Mohist tradition, the Mozi (J: Bokushi); and
3). an important Confucian text, the Mencius (C: Mengzi J: Möshi).