Zhao Tingyang ( zh, s=赵汀阳, t=趙汀陽, p=Zhào Tīngyáng; born 1961 in

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

) is a

political philosopher Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and legitimacy of political institutions, such as states. This field investigates different forms of government, ranging from de ...

credited with modernising the ancient Chinese concept of

Tianxia ''Tianxia'', 'all under Heaven', is a Chinese term for a historical Chinese cultural concept that denoted either the entire geographical world or the metaphysical realm of mortals, and later became associated with political sovereignty. In anc ...

. He argues that the concept of a new Tianxia or all-under-heaven can offer an alternative blueprint for creating a more peaceful and inclusive world.

Biography

Zhao Tingyang graduated from

Renmin University of China The Renmin University of China (RUC) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. The university is affiliated with the Ministry of Education, and co-funded by the Ministry of Education and the Beijing Municipal People's Government. The ...

and

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) is a Chinese state research institute and think tank. It is a ministry-level institution under the State Council of the People's Republic of China. The CASS is the highest academic institution and c ...

, and is now a professor in the Institute of Philosophy at the

and is a

senior fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...

of Peking University Berggruen Research Institute. He was also a Pusey Distinguished Fellow at the

Harvard–Yenching Institute The Harvard–Yenching Institute is an independent foundation dedicated to advancing higher education in Asia in the humanities and social sciences, with special attention to the study of Asian culture. It traditionally had close ties to Harvar ...

in 2013. His works are mainly on

metaphilosophy Metaphilosophy, sometimes called the philosophy of philosophy, is "the investigation of the nature of philosophy". Its subject matter includes the aims of philosophy, the boundaries of philosophy, and its methods. Thus, while philosophy character ...

ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...

and

political philosophy Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and Political legitimacy, legitimacy of political institutions, such as State (polity), states. This field investigates different ...

. In 2005, he published ''The

System: An Introduction to the Philosophy of a World Institution''. His book ''Investigations of the Bad World: Political Philosophy as First Philosophy'' was published in 2009. According to Zhao's reconstruction of the ''tianxia'' system, ''tianxia'' presupposed "inclusion of all" and implied acceptance of the world's diversities, emphasizing harmonious reciprocal dependence and ruled by virtue as a means for lasting peace.

Bibliography

Books

*''On Possible Life'', 1994, 2004 *''One or All Problem'', 1998 *''The World without a World-view'', 2003 *''The Tianxia System: An Introduction to the Philosophy of a World Institution'' (Chinese Edition: 2005). * ''All under Heaven: The Tianxia System for a Possible World Order.'' Berkeley: University of California Press. English Edition (2021). I *''Investigations of the Bad World: Political Philosophy as First Philosophy'', 2009 *''First Philosophy: From Cogito to Facio'', 2012 *''Contemporary Chinese Political Thought: Debates and Perspectives''

Selected academic articles

*Zhao Tingyang. 2012. ‘The Ontology of Coexistence: From Cogito to Facio’. ''Diogenes'' 57:4, (228): 27-36 *Zhao Tingyang and Yan Xin. 2008. The Self and the Other: An Unanswered Question in Confucian Theory. ''Frontiers of Philosophy in China'' 3, (2): 163-176 *Zhao Tingyang. 2009. Ontology of Coexistence. ''Diogenes'' 228, (4): 35-49 *Zhao Tingyang. 2009. A Political World Philosophy in terms of All-under-Heaven (tian-xia). ''Diogenes'' 56, (1): 5–18, 140 *Zhao Tingyang. 2006. Rethinking Empire from a Chinese Concept 'All-under-Heaven' (tian-xia). ''Social identities'' 12, (1): 29-41 *Zhao Tingyang. 2007. ‘“Credit Human Rights”: A Non-western Theory of Universal Human Rights’. ''Social sciences in China'' XXVIII, (1): 14-26 *Zhao Tingyang. 2005. On the Best Possible Golden Rule. ''Social sciences in China'' XXVI, (4): 12-22

References

External links

Zhao's Web PageThe Implications of "Tianxia" as a New World System (US-China Institute)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhao, Tingyang 1961 births Writers from Shantou Philosophers from Guangdong Living people 21st-century Chinese philosophers 21st-century Chinese essayists Renmin University of China alumni Chinese Academy of Social Sciences alumni