Wang Yangming
medievalNeo-Confucianism (School of Mind / Xinxue)1472 – 1529
Wang Yangming (1472–1529) was a Chinese Neo-Confucian philosopher, statesman, and military commander of the Ming dynasty. He is the founder of the Xinxue (School of Mind) tradition, best known for his doctrine of the unity of knowledge and action and his claim that the mind is identical with principle (li). His thought represents a major departure from the Cheng-Zhu school's emphasis on the investigation of external things.
Notable Achievements
1
Developed the doctrine of the unity of knowledge and action (zhī xíng hé yī)
2
Articulated the theory that mind is principle (xīn jí lǐ), opposing Zhu Xi's externalist approach
3
Revived and systematized the concept of liangzhi (innate moral knowledge) as the basis of ethical cultivation
4
Founded the Yangming school, one of the most influential Neo-Confucian traditions in China, Japan, and Korea
5
Integrated philosophical theory with military and administrative practice as a high-ranking Ming official