Ulrich Libbrecht

Ulrich Libbrecht, 2016

Ulrich Libbrecht (born July 10, 1928 in Avelgem ; † May 15, 2017 in Ronse ) was a Belgian philosopher , mathematician and author of numerous books on topics of Eastern and comparative philosophy.

Life

Libbrecht's career began in 1952 as a math teacher. In 1963 he received his Masters in Eastern Linguistics (Chinese, Sanskrit and Eastern Philosophy) and Sinology from the University of Ghent (Belgium). In 1972 he received his doctorate cum laude from the University of Leiden (Netherlands) in Sinology on the subject of Chinese mathematics in the 13th century, the work of Qin Jiushao . In the same year he was appointed professor at the University of Leuven (Belgium), where he taught classical Sinology, Chinese philosophy (including Buddhism), the history of science in China and comparative philosophy until his retirement in 1994. In 1989 Libbrecht founded the “School for Comparative Philosophy Antwerp” and in 1995 the school “Philosophy East-West Utrecht”.
Imbued with Chinese natural philosophy, Libbrecht has been actively committed to protecting the landscape in his homeland for many years. For many years Libbrecht had lived in Zulzeke- Kluisbergen , a small village in the Flemish Ardennes, not far from Oudenaarde.

plant

In the traditional sense, comparative philosophy (or intercultural philosophy) means comparing the thinking of all cultural, linguistic and philosophical currents. The differences are specifically contrasted in a dialogue, whereby there is always the risk that one's own thought patterns impair the perception of other currents. Libbrecht's approach to comparative philosophy is completely different; he is only interested in the rich diversity of the philosophical thought of mankind. In his magnum opus, the four-volume “Introduction to Comparative Philosophy”, he developed a unique framework of thought that provides insights into the complexity of widely differing philosophical schools of thought. To this end, Libbrecht has developed a model with the help of which he traces the worldwide diversity of philosophies back to the three fundamental systems Daoism (China), Buddhism (Indian origin) and rationalism (Greek tradition). This creates three different dimensions: nature, mysticism and rationality, which embody the ontological categories of becoming, non-being and being. Libbrecht chose these three philosophies because each one is “extreme” in its own way and considers one of the three dimensions mentioned as the total dimension. Although the same basic questions are asked in each of the three philosophies, the answers are fundamentally different, as each philosophy starts from its own basic paradigm. However, in order to be able to compare, one needs a paradigm-free model. The cosmological-anthropological model developed by Libbrecht is based on the paradigm-free axes “energy” and “information”. The energy embodies the imperishable, the information (form!) The constantly changing. With the help of the model, totally different and even contradicting principles and thought patterns of the different philosophies can be studied in a neutral way - without any bias from your own thought patterns. Because it has an algebraic structure and uses empty categories, Libbrecht's model is open and offers space for all known philosophies. It has never been his intention to create a "total philosophy"; he never had a synthesis of all philosophies in mind. His work has always been aimed at showing the rich diversity of human thought and allowing it to "sound together" as a symphony.

Publications

German

Books

• B uddha and me. An encounter in depth [trans. d. Dutch Originals: “Boeddha en ik. Ontmoeting in de diepte “], Nordheim: Verlag Traugott Bautz ( Intercultural Library, Volume 26), 2010
• Life thank [trans. d. Dutch Originals: "Met thanks aan het leven"], Nordheim: Verlag Traugott Bautz, 2012
• W eltbürger - introduction to a world view (translation in progress)

English

Books

• Chinese Mathematics in the Thirteenth Century: Shu-shu Chiu-chang of Ch'in Chiu-shao (Dissertation), Cambridge, Mass., And London: MIT Press, 1973
• Within the Four Seas… Introduction to Comparative Philosophy , Leuven: Peeters, 2007

items

• The Chinese Ta-yen Rule , Orientalia Lovaniensia Periodica, 3, 1972, pp. 179-199
• Joseph Needham's Work in the Area of ​​Chinese Mathematics , Past and Present, A Journal of Historical Studies, 87, May 1980, pp. 30-39
• Mathematical Manuscripts from the Tunhuang Caves , Explorations in the History of Science and Technology in China, Shanghai 1982, pp. 203-229
• Introduction of the Lapis serpentinus into China , Orientalia Lovaniensia Periodica, 18, 1987, pp. 209-237
• The Concept of Cheng, its Origin, Development and Philosophical Meaning (International Symposium on Confucianism and the Modern World, Taipei), 1987, pp. 301-341
• Hsi-tu-shih (Lapis serpentinus), a treatise by Ferdinand Verbiest , Bulletin of Chinese Studies, University of Hong Kong, Vol. 1, no. 2, 1987, pp. 317-341
• Prana = Pneuma = Ch'i? Thought and Law in Qin and Han China , 1990, pp. 42-62
• The Astronomia Europea of ​​Ferdinand Verbiest SJ , Chintai Chung-kuo K'o-hsüeh Shih Lun-chi, Beijing, 1991
• General Evaluation of the Scientific Work of Ferdinand Verbiest , Monumenta Serica Monograph Series, XXX, 1994, pp. 55-64
• What kind of Science did the Jesuits bring to China? , Bibliotheca Instituti Historici SI, vol. XLIX, Roma 1996, pp. 221-234

Contributions to monographs

• Chinese Concepts of Time: Yü-chou as space-time, in: Time and Temporality in Intercultural Perspective, Oosterling, HAF (Ed.), Studies on Intercultural Philosophy, Volume 4, 1996, Amsterdam / Atlanta, GA
• Worldviews and Cultures, in: Philosophical Reflections from an Intercultural Perspective. Edited by Nicole Note et al., 2009, Springer Science + Business Media BV, pp. 31-67

Dutch

Books

• Oosterse wijsheid voor de Westerse mens [“Eastern wisdom for people in the West”], Eindhoven: Orion, 1974
• De vinger die naar de maan wijst ["The finger that points to the moon"], Leuven: Davidsfonds, 1975
• Astronoom van de keizer ["The Emperor's Astronomer"], Leuven: Davidsfonds, 1988
• Geen muren rond culturen [“No walls around cultures”], Leuven: Davidsfonds, 1995
• Inleiding comparatieve filosofie [“Introduction to Comparative Philosophy”], Assen: Van Gorcum, Part I, 1995; Part II, 1999; Part IIIA, 2003; Part IIIB, 2005
• In arren moede. Over teveel en tekort [“In poverty. About too much and about too little ”], Leuven: Davidsfonds, 1996
• Een glimlach uit het Oosten [“A smile from the east”], Leuven: Davidsfonds, 2000
• Burger van de wereld. Inleiding tot een wereldbeschouwing [“Citizens of the world - introduction to a worldview”], Budel: Damon, 2001
• Oosterse filosofie. Een inleiding. [“Eastern Philosophy. An Introduction ”], Leuven: Davidsfonds, 2002
• Drakenaders van mijn landschap. Wat ik van het Oosten leerde [“Dragon veins in my landscape. What I learned from the Far East ”], Tielt: Lannoo, 2003
• De geelzucht van Europa ["The jaundice of Europe"], Leuven: Davidsfonds, 2004
• Is god dood? ["Is God dead?"], Tielt: Lannoo, 2004
• Boeddha en ik. Ontmoeting in de diepte [“Buddha and me. An encounter in the deep ”], Tielt: Lannoo, 2006
• Were all canteens broeders? Over globalisering en verscheidenheid [“Do all people become brothers? On globalization and diversity ”], Tielt: Lannoo, 2007
• Met dank aan het leven ["Thank life"], Tielt: Lannoo, 2008
• Goodbye to Dieu. Naar een religieus atheïsme [“Adieu God. Towards a new religious atheism ”], Antwerpen-Apeldoorn: Garant, 2014
• De bricoleur en de dummies. Een book voor jonge thinkers en dromers [“The Bricoleur and the Dummies. A book for young thinkers and dreamers ”], Antwerpen-Apeldoorn: Garant, 2015
• De weg is wijzer dan de wegwijzer [“The path is wiser than the signpost”], Antwerpen-Apeldoorn: Garant, 2015
• Filosofie zonder borderlines ["Philosophy without borders"], with the assistance of Heinz Kimmerle, Els Janssens editorial team, Antwerpen-Apeldoorn: Garant, 2016
• Ierse meditaties. Naar een nieuw pantheïsme [“Irish meditations. Towards a new pantheism ”], Antwerpen-Apeldoorn: Garant, 2017

French

Books

• Bouddha et Moi. [Translation of the Dutch original: “Boeddha en ik. Ontmoeting in de diepte "], lulu.com, 2012

Eponyms

In 2015 the asteroid (13526) Libbrecht was named after him.

After repair, the Ulrich Libbrecht hiking trail was reopened on April 15, 2018 in Zulzeke (Verbandsgemeinde Kluisbergen) in Belgium ("Libbrechtwandeling in Zulzeke")

Web links

• Libbrechts website
• Website of the Libbrecht Society

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Minor Planet Circ. 95310