Fung's writings are the result of contact betveen Eastern and westem cultures and of the modernization of Chinese philosophY. He investigated philosophy in the light of all of its cultural manifestations, taking the problem of life as his focus. Along such a trend and under the guidance of Professor John Dewey, he completed his doctoral dissertation.

The essavs collected in this volume. 'all originally wrirten in English for a non-Chinese audience, are taken from those writings of Fung Yu-lan that are relatively far-reaching and concise. As a whole. Fung's writings are the result of contact betveen Eastern and westem cultures and of the modernization of Chinese philosophY. He investigated philosophy in the light of all of its cultural manifestations, taking the problem of life as his focus. Along such a trend and under the guidance of Professor John Dewey, he completed his doctoral dissertation. "A Comparative Study of Life Ideals"at Columbia University in 1923 (published in 1924).The work presents the young author's achievements in his endeavour to have a thorough knowledge of both Western and Chinese philosophies and their life ideals and to pursue the highest ideal of life as he saw it.

After the publication of his two-volume A History of Chinese Philosophy ( t 930- t 936), Fung turned his interest to the attempt to create a modern system of Chinese philosophy, thereafter successively publishing six books about his Neo-Confucianism. Then he returned again to the study of the history of Chinese philosophy and wrote in English A Short History of Chinese Philosophy (1946-1947). The experience of creating his own philosophical system made him more penetrating in comprehension and more explicit in expression than he was when preparing his large history.In order to meet the need of Western readers, he often explained Chinese philosophy in comparison with Western philosophy. From this philosophical comparison he came to a social conclusion: "In order to live in a modern world, China has to be modernized." His Short History was published by Macmillan Company in 1948, followed by French, Italian and Yugoslavic,versions translated from the English original.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LIFE IDEALS

INTRODUCTION

Part I

THE IDEALIZATION OF NATURE AND THE WAY OF DECREASE

Chapter I

ROMANTICISMS: CHUANG TZU

Chapter II

IDEALISM: PLATO

Chapter HI

NIHILISM: SCHOPENHAUER

Chapter IV

CONCLUSION OF PART I

Part II

THE IDEALIZATION OF ART AND THE WAY OF INCREASE

Chapter V

HEDONISM: YANG CHU

Chapter VI

UTILITARIANISM: MO TZU

Chapter VII

PROGRESIVISM: DESCARTES, BACON, AND FICHTE

Chapter VIII

CONCLUSION OF PART II

Part III

THE IDEALIZATION OF THE CONTINUITY OF NATURE AND ART AND THE GOOD OF ACTIVITY

Chapter IX

CONFUCIUS

Chapter X

ARISTOTLE

Chapter XI

NEO-CONFUCIANISM

Chapter XII

HEGEL

Chapter XlII

CONCLUSION OF PART III

Chapter XIV

GENERAL CONCLUSION

A SHORT HISTORY OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY

Chapter I

THE SPIRIT OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY

Chapter II

THE BACKGROUND OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY

Chapter III

THE ORIGIN OF THE SCHOOLS

Chapter IV

CONFUCIUS, THE FIRST TEACHER

Chapter V

MO TZU, THE FIRST OPPONENT OF CONFUCIUS

Chapter VI

THE FIRST PHASE OF TAOISM: YANG CHU

Chapter VII

THE IDEALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: MENCIUS

Chapter VIII

THE SCHOOL OF NAMES

Chapter IX

THE SECOND PHASE OF TAOISM: LAO TZU

Chapter X

THE THIRD PHASE OF TAOISM: CHUANG TZU

Chapter XI

THE LATER MOHISTS

Chapter XII

THE YIN-YANG SCHOOL AND EARLY CHINESE COSMOGONY

Chapter XIII

THE REALISTIC WING OF CONFUCIANISM: HSUN TZU

Chapter XIV

HAN FEI TZU AND THE LEGALIST SCHOOL

Chapter XV

CONFUCIANIST METAPHYSICS

Chapter XVI

WORLD POLITICS AND WORLD PHILOSOPHY

Chapter XVII

THEORIZER OF THE HAN EMPIRE TUNG CHUNG--SHU

Chapter XVIII

THE ASCENDANCY OF CONFUCIANISM AND REVIVAL OF TAOISM

Chapter XIX

NEO-TAOISM: THE RATIONALISTS

Chapter XX

NEO-TAOISM: THE SENTIMENTALISTS

Chapter XXI

THE FOUNDATION OF CHINESE BUDDHISM

Chapter XXII

CHANISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF SILENCE

Chapter XXIII

NEO-CONFUCIANISM: THE COSMOLOGISTS

Chapter XXIV

NEO-CONFUCIANISM: THE BEGINNING OF THE TWO SCHOOLS

Chapter XXV

NEO-CONFUCIANISM THE SCHOOL OF PLATONIC IDEAS

Chapter XXVI

NEO-CONFUCIANISM: THE SCHOOL OF UNIVERSAL MIND

Chapter XXVII

THE INTRODUCTION OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY

Chapter XXVIII

CHINESE PHILOSOPHY IN THE MODERN WORLD

ESSAYS AND SPEECHES

WHY CHINA HAS NO SCIENCE--AN INTERPRETATION OF THE HISTORY AND CONSEQUENCES OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY

THE CONFUCIANIST THEORY OF MOURNING, SACRIFICIAL AND WEDDING RITES

THE PLACE OF CONFUCIUS IN CHINESE HISTORY

PHILOSOPHY IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA

THE ORIGIN OFJU AND MO

THE PHILOSOPHY AT THE BASIS OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE SOCIETY

THE TRADITIONAL CHINESE FAMILY SYSTEM

A GENERAL STATEMENT ON NEO-CONFUCIANISM

SPEECH OF RESPONSE DELIVERED AT THE CONVOCATION OF SEPTEMBER 10,1982, AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

INDEX