Naturalism with Chinese characteristics

Naturalism is a polemical term, and the polemic does not translate well into the terms of traditional Chinese thought. The universe is self-contained, without an external principle or source of unity. Different versions introduce further conditions, but naturalism is always a thought about immanence, and that gives people a point of entry into the Chinese material. The late Zhou dynasty was a time of crisis, climaxing with dynastic collapse. …