François Jullien

Procès ou création: une introduction à la pensée chinoise - essai de problématique interculturelle.

Paris: Editions du Seuil, 1996. Le Livre de Poche Biblio. 2253942383 342 pages.

Previous owner's name and date are discreetly written on half title page. Softcover volume, measuring approximately 4.5" x 7.25", is otherwise in fine condition.

François Jullien has embarked on an exciting endeavor: he has selected a specific juncture in classical Chinese thought—the early 17th century, just prior to its encounter with Western philosophy—and, focusing on the Neo-Confucian thinker Wang Fuzhi, has mapped out its underlying "grammar" and compared it with Western thought. Recognizing that comparing individual elements from two distinct intellectual traditions can be misleading, he instead examines the sets to which these elements belong, the functions they perform within those sets, and how these sets operate as a whole—contrasting, for instance, the conception of a "process" with that of "creation," Confucian ethics with Stoic ethics, and the written word with myth. Throughout this process, his primary objective remains to introduce Chinese thought and ensure it is truly understood. For the curious reader, this serves as an illuminating guide, crafted by an expert in the field.