TRUTH IN CHINESE PHILOSOPHY: A COMMENTARY ON BO MOU'S SEMANTIC-TRUTH APPROACHES IN CHINESE PHILOSOPHY

Studies of Chinese philosophy have been overwhelmingly on ethics and social philosophy. Bo Mou's book is significant because it is squarely on semantic truth, a topic which has seldomly been brought up in studying Chinese philosophy (Mou 2019). That alone makes his book worthy of our attention. Mou's book contains many insights and breaks new grounds for further study. His pluralist account of semantic truth in Chinese philosophy is highly original and pioneering in the field. Here I will not attempt to make a comprehensive review or assessment of this important book. Instead, I focus on two points, for the sake of further explorations on the topic. The first is on the general topic of truth in Chinese philosophy. While I do not deny that there is semantic truth in Chinese philosophy, I believe the main orientation of Chinese philosophy on truth is pragmatic, in that the concept of truth is understood and functions in the context of the human condition; the nature and the value of truth lies with its service for the good life. Second, I will offer an alternative to Bo Mou's characterization of Xun Zi's concept of truth and show why Mou cannot dismiss a broadly characterized pragmatic interpretation of Xun Zi's epistemology. In this commentary, I will try to quote Mou's relevant passages in their entirety to ensure as much accuracy as possible in presenting his argument.