On the Construction and Reflection of Lin He's Neo-Confucian Philosophy

Lin He was one of the most important philosophers, translators, philosophical historians and representatives of early New-Confucianism. Some scholars said that one could not really know how the circle of modern Chinese philosophy absorbed and digested western philosophy without understanding Lin He's academic achievements. In Lin He's mind, Confucianism was supposed to proceed in the direction of Confucianism as art, religion and philosophy as philosophy was supposed to be able to reconcile reason and faith, science and religion, aesthetics and morality. In accordance with the contemporary demand of inter-disciplinary integration, this view of Lin He's seems to impinge once again on the value of specialization and makes one re-consider it. With respect to the methodology, it is assumed here the greatest contribution of Lin He's thought is how his methodology appreciates history as well as the necessity of historical depth to the understanding of the subject's background. For instance, he boldly inquired the origin of Confucianism in the way philosophical anthropology approached myths and witchery, which was his new methodology to study Confucianism in the light of the macroscopic function of history. Furthermore, the most significant features of Lin He's thought were both the spirit of "me being" in his philosophy and his emphasis on the "relationship between man and nature." This article is going to presents the main points of Lin He's doctrine from the perspectives of "the spirit of Confucian philosophy," "the methodology of Chinese philosophy" and "the definition and features of philosophy" as Lin He proposed. Then, in the end, the writer will present his own reflection and state how Lin He's thought inspired the modernization of contemporary Chinese philosophy.