Philosophy
Xu was one of the earliest student of the philosopher Wang Yangming. He was considered as a royal, important member and the second generation of the Yangming School of Mind (陽明心學/阳明心学).
Wang Yangming proposed his thought of conscience and intuitive knowledge, but most people and Confucians during his time didn't accept it. Xu mainly contributed to the further expatiation and the consummation of Wang's philosophy in this domain, and also further developed Wang's school of philosophy.
Xu recorded most of Wang's words (from both his daily living and teaching) and works, collected and recensing them, also printed and published these philosophical monographies. So Xu also played an important role in publicizing the philosophy in a popular style.
Read more about this topic: Xu Ai
Famous quotes containing the word philosophy:
“Even healthy families need outside sources of moral guidance to keep those tensions from imploding—and this means, among other things, a public philosophy of gender equality and concern for child welfare. When instead the larger culture aggrandizes wife beaters, degrades women or nods approvingly at child slappers, the family gets a little more dangerous for everyone, and so, inevitably, does the larger world.”
—Barbara Ehrenreich (20th century)
“The great critic ... must be a philosopher, for from philosophy he will learn serenity, impartiality, and the transitoriness of human things.”
—W. Somerset Maugham (1874–1965)
“What does mysticism really mean? It means the way to attain knowledge. It’s close to philosophy, except in philosophy you go horizontally while in mysticism you go vertically.”
—Elie Wiesel (b. 1928)