Abstract

The thesis is the first comprehensive of study of the life and thought of modern China's prominent philosopher, Feng Yu-lan. A former student of John Dewey and Montague during his Columbia days and an intellectual friend of Wittgenstein and Russell, Feng was the first Chinese to incorporate Pragmatism, Platonic philosophy, Neo-Realism, and the method of logical analysis into the Confucian tradition. This resulted in a new system of Confucian metaphysics and morality known as the "New Philosophy of Principles." The work examines Feng's early Confucian educational background and philosophical training in the United States. It presents, for the first time, a full picture of Feng's intellectual and personal life, including his dramatic struggle for survival during the Cultural Revolution in Communist China. By examining the intellectual sources of Feng's new philosophical system, the thesis demonstrates the interaction of Neo-Confucianism, Platonic Realism, and Pragmatism. It provides an extended understanding of the new development of Confucian morality and its dialogue with Western thought in modern China.