Yang Zhu

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Yang Zhu ( Chinese  楊朱  /  杨朱 , Pinyin Yáng Zhū , W.-G. Yang Chu ) was a Chinese philosopher who lived in the 3rd century BC. Should have lived. Little is known about his life as his teachings were either passed on orally or the scriptures were lost. He is said to have lived at a royal court in the state of Wei around 300 BC. Have lived. What is known about Yang Zhu's teachings comes from sources by other philosophers, particularly Liezi and Mengzi .

Yang Zhu's teachings are close to Daoism , especially the teachings of Zhuangzi , but he rejects ethical principles of order in the world and the rule of heaven . His philosophy was mainly hedonistic , because he taught that one should gain and enjoy life to the fullest in life, which in any case did not have much pleasantness to offer, and that one should not suppress one's own nature with its desires and urges.

Yang Zhu refuses to seek any form of the hereafter , to want to improve the state and society, or to bring the world into a better order, as senseless . Striving for wealth and honor or founding a family and procreating offspring are also pointless. It only makes sense to satisfy the senses. Here, however, Yang Zhu advocated controlled enjoyment, since excessive sensual pleasure endangers life. Wisdom consists in first of all determining which desires are detrimental to one's own nature and which are beneficial to it.

literature

  • Otto Ladstätter and Sepp Linhart : China and Japan. The cultures of East Asia. Verlag Carl Ueberreuter, Vienna 1983
personal data
SURNAME Yang Zhu
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 楊朱 (Chinese); Yáng Zhū; Yang Chu
BRIEF DESCRIPTION chinese philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH 4th century BC BC or 3rd century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 4th century BC BC or 3rd century BC Chr.