Summary |
In the strictest sense, Qing Neo-Confucianism describes any Confucian thought appearing in the Qing dynasty (1644-1912). In practice, it usually refers more narrowly to Qing philosophers working within the indigenous Chinese tradition, before major Chinese thinkers engaged significantly with Western philosophy (significant engagement began in the late 19th Century). The Qing Neo-Confucian period witnessed at least two major developments: (1) powerful new critiques of the orthodox Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming dynasties, and (2) tremendous advances in philology and other "evidential" disciplines like geography and astronomy. |