On the Beginnings of European-Chinese Animal Philosophy: Reflections on a Rediscovered Text

The text Sing-li-tchin-thsiouan die wahrhafte Darstellung der Naturphilosophie (erster Theil) can be regarded as the first document of a transcultural European-Chinese perspective in the field of animal philosophy. It presents a German translation (1840) of a Manchu text by Hans Conon von der Gabelentz. Although thought to be a work of a Chinese author, the text traces its origins to a Chinese urtext (1753) written by the Jesuit Alexandre de Lacharme. Rather implicitly and allusively, Cartesian, Neo-Confucian, and Manchurian elements of thought intersect in the text's contents and translation history. In the first part of the paper, a preparatory analysis of the translation-historical contexts and relevant aspects of Neo-Confucian philosophical lore is provided. Then, from a perspective of comparative analysis, the second part deals with the positions relevant to animal philosophy in the ninth chapter of the text. Finally, the further potential for the development of a transcultural animal philosophy which can be traced in these reflections and backgrounds is discussed.