Truth in Pre-Han Thought

Abstract

Scholars have defended a range of interpretations of the place of truth in early Chinese thought, from the view that pre-Han philosophy has no concept of semantic truth to the view that it has several concepts with roles overlapping those of truth, to the view that early Chinese thinkers actually offer theories of truth. Examining how pre-Han philosophers thought about truth may help us better understand the discursive framework and intellectual orientation of early Chinese philosophy. In particular, it may illustrate how pre-Han inquiries into logic, language, knowledge, and metaphysics tended to focus on questions concerning the proper dao (way) of conduct and its relation to the course of the natural world. This chapter first reviews the long-standing debate in the scholarly literature over whether truth has any role at all in pre-Han thought. Next, it considers how we might effectively and informatively frame inquiry into the topic of truth in Chinese philosophy. It then offers concise interpretations of several concepts in pre-Han texts with conceptual roles overlapping that of truth.