Haoyang Cai

Heaven and Man in Han Chinese Thought

This research focuses on the idea of “the unity of heaven and man” from the late Warring States period to the Han dynasty. It will focus on three core issues: (a) Examining the historical evolution of the idea of “the unity of heaven and man” by analyzing how emerging natural philosophies were absorbed, adapted, and integrated into the existing philosophical tradition during the Han dynasty. (b) Exploring the universality and specificity of the Han dynasty’s concept of the unity of heaven and man from a comparative perspective with ancient world philosophy. Dialogue with the Greco-Roman philosophical tradition reveals common logic between ideas and highlights the unique cosmological structure and ethical demands of early Chinese philosophy. (c) Systematically presenting the structural characteristics and theoretical patterns of the idea of heaven and man from late Warring States period to the Han dynasty by analyzing key philosophical texts to determine how the basic categories of heaven and man were established and incorporated into each other’s thought systems during the Han Dynasty.