Chronology Entry
Year
1921-1933
Text
Wu Mi returned to China, kept in touch with Irving Babbitt through correspondence and by regularly sending him copies of Xue heng.
Wu Mi was fascinated by Babbitt's ideas, which were known as the New Humanism, and by Babbitt's respect for ancient Eastern philosophy, including Buddhism and Confucianism. According to Wu Mi, the New Cultural Movement's one-sided promotion of naturalism was introducing into China a system of thought that Babbitt and other distinguished scholars had already shown to have been the source of calamities in the West. Babbitt adhered to the old tradition of dualism with respect to human nature. Inspired by Babbitt, Wu Mi also assumed a dualistic standpoint on this subject. He refused those who regarded human nature as solely evil or solely good. Wu Mi shared Babbitt's view that 'in the long run democracy will be judged, no less than other forms of government, by the quality of its leaders, a quality that will depend in turn on the quality of their vision'.
Wu Mi was fascinated by Babbitt's ideas, which were known as the New Humanism, and by Babbitt's respect for ancient Eastern philosophy, including Buddhism and Confucianism. According to Wu Mi, the New Cultural Movement's one-sided promotion of naturalism was introducing into China a system of thought that Babbitt and other distinguished scholars had already shown to have been the source of calamities in the West. Babbitt adhered to the old tradition of dualism with respect to human nature. Inspired by Babbitt, Wu Mi also assumed a dualistic standpoint on this subject. He refused those who regarded human nature as solely evil or solely good. Wu Mi shared Babbitt's view that 'in the long run democracy will be judged, no less than other forms of government, by the quality of its leaders, a quality that will depend in turn on the quality of their vision'.
Mentioned People (2)
Babbitt, Irving
(Dayton, Ohio 1865-1933 Cambridge, Mass.) : Professor of French Literature, Harvard University, Literaturkritiker, Philosoph
Wu, Mi
(Jingyang, Shaanxi 894-1978 Jingyang, Shaanxi) : Professor of English, Southwest Normal College, Yanjing University, Qinghua University, Beijing ; Founder of Chinese comparative literature, Chief editor Xue heng
Subjects
Philosophy : United States of America
Documents (2)
| # | Year | Bibliographical Data | Type / Abbreviation | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999 |
Ong, Chang Woei. On Wu Mi's conservatism. In : Humanitas ; vol. 12, no 1 (1999). [Enthält Eintragungen über Irving Babbitt]. http://www.nhinet.org/ong.htm. |
Publication / Babb15 | |
| 2 | 2008 | Hon, Tze-ki. From Babbitt to "Bai Bide" : interpretations of new humanism in 'Xueheng'. In : Beyond the May fourth paradigm : in search of Chinese modernity. Ed. by Kai-wing Chow [et al.]. (Lanham, Md. : Lexington Books, 2008). | Publication / Babb8 |
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