Lao Siguang

Lao Siguang

Lao Siguang (1927-october 21, 2012), born in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, is an academician of the Academia Sinica of Taiwan and one of the most influential philosophers in the contemporary Chinese academic circle.

He entered the Department of philosophy of Peking University in 1946, transferred to Taiwan in 1949, graduated from the Department of philosophy of Taiwan University in 1952, and successively engaged in research work at Harvard University and Princeton University. Since 1964, he has been a lecturer, senior lecturer and professor in the Department of philosophy at Chung Chi College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He also served as the director of the Department of philosophy at the Graduate School of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He retired from the Department of Philosophy in 1985. In 1989, he returned to Taiwan as a visiting professor at the Institute of philosophy at the invitation of Tsinghua University in Taiwan. Since 1994, he has been a chair professor in the Department of philosophy at Huafan University in Taiwan.

Lauth optics runs through China and the west, and has abundant works. There are no papers, history, philosophy, and even textual research on gold and stone. Among them, the newly compiled history of Chinese philosophy, published in 1980, has been widely used as the designated textbook by colleges and universities in Hong Kong and Taiwan since its publication.

His works include three volumes and four volumes of the history of Chinese philosophy, the gist of Kant's theory of knowledge, the punishment of history, the gist of Chinese culture, the direction of China, the seven volumes of Si Guang Shao Zuo Ji, the explanation and legislation, the new review of the direction of Chinese culture, Si Bian Lu, selected poems of Si Guang, etc.

On October 21, 2012, Lao Siguang died in Taipei at the age of 85.

Profile

Lao Siguang, born in 1927, is a native of Changsha, Hunan Province. He once studied in the Department of philosophy of Peking University. He came to Taiwan in 1949 and graduated from the Department of philosophy of Taiwan University. He has been engaged in research work at Harvard University and Princeton University in the United States, and taught at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He returned to Taiwan as a visiting professor of the Institute of philosophy at the invitation of Tsinghua University in 1989, and has been teaching at Huafan University since 1994.

Lauth optics runs through China and the west, and has abundant works. There are no papers, history, philosophy, and even textual research on gold and stone. Among them, the newly compiled history of Chinese philosophy, published in 1980, has been widely used as the designated textbook by colleges and universities in Hong Kong and Taiwan since its publication.

Lao Siguang, a famous philosopher, academician of Taiwan's "Academia Sinica" and full-time professor of philosophy at Huafan University, fell down at home on the evening of October 20 and was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment on the morning of October 21, 2012. He died at the age of 85.

Personal resume

1946-1949: Department of philosophy, Peking University; 1952: Department of philosophy, Taiwan University; 1955-1964: Lecturer, Zhuhai University; 1964-1985: Lecturer, senior lecturer and Professor, Department of philosophy, Chongji college, Chinese University of Hong Kong; 1969-1970: visiting scholar, Harvard University; 1970, 1975-1976: visiting scholar, Princeton University; 1985-1989 From 1989 to 1992, he was a visiting professor of National Tsinghua University; from 1992 to 1993, he was a visiting professor of National Chengchi University; from 1999 to 2000, he was a visiting professor of Philosophy Department of private Soochow University; from 2000 to 2001, he was a visiting professor of Philosophy Department of Hong Kong Chinese University; from 1994, he was a lecture professor of Philosophy Department of Huafan University. Present position: Professor, Department of philosophy, Huafan University, Taiwan; Professor Duan Mukai, Soochow University.

early years

Lao Siguang was born in Changsha, Hunan Province. His grandfather, Lao Chongguang, was a Jinshi of Daoguang. He was the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. His father, Lao Jingjiu, joined the league and took part in the revolution of 1911. He followed Chiang Kai Shek and retired from the army. Due to his family background, Lao Siguang also laid a solid foundation of Sinology. After graduating from high school, he went to the Philosophy Department of Peking University for further study. In 1949, he went to Taiwan, where he moved with his parents and graduated from the Philosophy Department of Taiwan University. Later, because he opposed the dictatorship of the Kuomintang and advocated democracy and freedom, he attracted the attention of the Bureau of investigation. Fortunately, he was informed of the danger by the former Ministry of Jingjiu Gong, and was forced to leave Taiwan and live in Hong Kong. So for a long time, Lao Siguang's works were banned in Taiwan, and when his parents died, he couldn't go to Taiwan to mourn.

Hong Kong period

After arriving in Hong Kong, Mr. Lau devoted himself to academic research. He taught philosophy at Zhuhai College, Chung Chi College and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He also engaged in research at Harvard University and Princeton University. In Chongji College of CUHK, in addition to teaching, he had to compile teaching materials. For example, Professor Lao completed the book "Essentials of Chinese culture". Later, he became the director of the Institute. Although he was busy in official business, he wrote more frequently, especially in his three volumes of new history of Chinese philosophy. After retirement, he served as a senior researcher of the Institute of Chinese culture of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a senior tutor of Shaw College.

go back to Taiwan

Before leaving Taiwan, Lao Siguang vowed that he would not return to Taiwan unless the Kuomintang ended martial law. After retiring from Hong Kong, because of the lifting of martial law in Taiwan, in 1989, Lao Siguang was invited by Tsinghua University of Taiwan to serve as a visiting professor of the Institute of history. During his stay in Taiwan, he successively taught in Tsinghua University, Chengchi University, Soochow University and Huafan University, served as a professor of Huafan University and duanmukai lecture professor of Soochow University, and won the "Executive Yuan" cultural award in 2001 In 2002, he was selected as an academician of Academia Sinica, and in 2004, he was awarded the honorary doctor of literature of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Academician Lao received colorectal cancer resection more than two years ago, and his postoperative condition was good.

In October 2012, he died of a cold that may lead to pulmonary hydrops and malnutrition. Lao Siguang fell down at home on the night of October 20, 2012, and was escorted to the emergency department by the students on the morning of October 21, 2012. However, he died before arriving at the hospital. The hospital tried its best to rescue him, but he was still declared invalid.

Spiritual thought

Lao Si Guang maintains an open attitude to simultaneous interpreting of different traditions of Chinese and western philosophy. His thoughts can be divided into early, middle and late periods. His early thoughts were close to German idealism, his moral philosophy was especially close to Kant, and his cultural philosophy had a strong Hegelian color. The mid-term thought is roughly from the 1970s to the early 1980s. He focused on the study of Chinese philosophy and completed three volumes of the new history of Chinese philosophy. In theory, he criticized Hegel's model and turned to the exploration of analytical philosophy.

In his later years, he raised the issue of advanced semantics to criticize the trend of modern philosophy, with the purpose of re judging the functions and limitations of different theoretical languages, so as to position different theories appropriately. As for the nature of Chinese and Western philosophical tradition, the philosophical function has been divided into two types: cognitive and guiding. The so-called cognition means that its philosophical function is mainly placed on the establishment of knowledge; the so-called guidance requires the transformation of life or self. The former mainly involves the field of intelligence, while the latter focuses on the field of will. The differences between eastern and Western philosophies are settled in the framework of virtue and wisdom. He believes that Confucianism regards culture and life as a process of continuously realizing value. The possibility of realizing value is that people have a sense of self-consciousness. The ability of self-consciousness is manifested in the ability to make value judgments independently and demand the realization of value. His whole moral philosophy system is based on value subject or conscious subject. Such a value subject, on the one hand, is based on the highest freedom, on the other hand, it shows the ability to make value judgment and the will to realize value, so the effort falls on presenting and expanding the heart of right and wrong and the practical will to carry out judgment. This philosophy is embodied in the cultural life, that is to say, it becomes the cultural spirit of valuing morality. Generally speaking, his philosophy is based on the research of value subject or self-conscious subject, so as to deduce the whole philosophy system of moral culture. Facing the challenge of western culture, he shows the essence and limitation of the eastern and Western culture of valuing morality and wisdom from the framework of single subject and parallel subject, in order to achieve the cultural spirit of "up and down access".

Academic honor

In 2000, he won the outstanding academic achievement award of the fitofi academic association of the Republic of China, the 46th academic award of the Ministry of education of the government of the Republic of China, the Culture Award of the executive yuan of Taiwan in 2002, the national lecture professor of the Ministry of education of the government of the Republic of China in 2002 and 2005, and the honorary doctor of literature of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2004).

Famous works

Lao Siguang's works are all over literature, history, philosophy, textual research, time theory, etc., especially the new history of Chinese philosophy published in the 1980s. The original research method of basic source problem holds that the history of philosophy is not only "history", but also has thought, that is, philosophy problem consciousness. He thinks that as an intellectual, he has the spirit of undertaking and the mission of the times. Therefore, many works have been published for the current politics. Lao Siguang also likes to write poems to amuse himself. In his poems, he often associates with his friends and fellow poets, and also reveals his thoughts and feelings about the country and society. His poems are easy to use allusions because of the continuation of Tongguang style. Chinese scholars have a series of studies on his poems.

July 1957: Essentials of Kant's theory of knowledge (Hong Kong: first edition of Youlian press, reprinted in May 1974)

1971: the punishment of history (Hong Kong: university life society; Taipei: Fengyun times press, 1993)

May 1981: the way of China (Hong Kong: Shangzhi publishing house, 2 + 107 pages)

1984-1986: new history of Chinese philosophy, Volume 3, Volume 4 (Taipei: Sanmin Publishing House)

1988: change and inheritance (Taipei: lion cubs)

1999: new collection of cultural issues (Hong Kong: China)

Chinese PinYin : Lao Si Guang