The Disenchantment of Hell and the Emergence of Self-Conscious Individuality: Examining Su Shi’s Philosophy of Disposition
In pre-Song Chinese thought, the afterlife, or the subterranean realm was a sacred space distinctly separate from the world of the living, an extension of the political–religious–cultural order of the Chinese empire. Even after the introduction of Buddhism to China, although the Buddhist concept of...
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2025-02-01
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| author | Shuang Xu Yicai Ni |
| author_facet | Shuang Xu Yicai Ni |
| author_sort | Shuang Xu |
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| description | In pre-Song Chinese thought, the afterlife, or the subterranean realm was a sacred space distinctly separate from the world of the living, an extension of the political–religious–cultural order of the Chinese empire. Even after the introduction of Buddhism to China, although the Buddhist concept of hell applied karmic retribution to the present life in an attempt to provide ethical norms for real life, the sacredness of the afterlife remained intact. Song Dynasty Chinese thought underwent a profound “modernization” transformation. Su Shi, with the concept of <i>qing</i> 情 [<i>disposition</i>] at its core, disenchanted the sacred afterlife, shaping a new, self-conscious individuality in the interplay between the living and the dead, the finite and the infinite, the mortal and the immortal. This new individuality, with its spiritual spontaneity and freedom, integrated the afterlife with the present world, internalizing infinity and immortality into a utopian spiritual homeland. This free individuality, entirely different from Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism, marking a hidden potential in the development of Chinese intellectual history that has yet to be fully revealed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-db7ffeb5345f41288efb9d2206bddd9d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-db7ffeb5345f41288efb9d2206bddd9d2025-08-20T02:04:06ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442025-02-0116222010.3390/rel16020220The Disenchantment of Hell and the Emergence of Self-Conscious Individuality: Examining Su Shi’s Philosophy of DispositionShuang Xu0Yicai Ni1School of Marxism, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, ChinaSchool of Philosophy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaIn pre-Song Chinese thought, the afterlife, or the subterranean realm was a sacred space distinctly separate from the world of the living, an extension of the political–religious–cultural order of the Chinese empire. Even after the introduction of Buddhism to China, although the Buddhist concept of hell applied karmic retribution to the present life in an attempt to provide ethical norms for real life, the sacredness of the afterlife remained intact. Song Dynasty Chinese thought underwent a profound “modernization” transformation. Su Shi, with the concept of <i>qing</i> 情 [<i>disposition</i>] at its core, disenchanted the sacred afterlife, shaping a new, self-conscious individuality in the interplay between the living and the dead, the finite and the infinite, the mortal and the immortal. This new individuality, with its spiritual spontaneity and freedom, integrated the afterlife with the present world, internalizing infinity and immortality into a utopian spiritual homeland. This free individuality, entirely different from Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism, marking a hidden potential in the development of Chinese intellectual history that has yet to be fully revealed.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/2/220Su ShihelldisenchantmentindividualitydispositionChinese intellectual history |
| spellingShingle | Shuang Xu Yicai Ni The Disenchantment of Hell and the Emergence of Self-Conscious Individuality: Examining Su Shi’s Philosophy of Disposition Religions Su Shi hell disenchantment individuality disposition Chinese intellectual history |
| title | The Disenchantment of Hell and the Emergence of Self-Conscious Individuality: Examining Su Shi’s Philosophy of Disposition |
| title_full | The Disenchantment of Hell and the Emergence of Self-Conscious Individuality: Examining Su Shi’s Philosophy of Disposition |
| title_fullStr | The Disenchantment of Hell and the Emergence of Self-Conscious Individuality: Examining Su Shi’s Philosophy of Disposition |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Disenchantment of Hell and the Emergence of Self-Conscious Individuality: Examining Su Shi’s Philosophy of Disposition |
| title_short | The Disenchantment of Hell and the Emergence of Self-Conscious Individuality: Examining Su Shi’s Philosophy of Disposition |
| title_sort | disenchantment of hell and the emergence of self conscious individuality examining su shi s philosophy of disposition |
| topic | Su Shi hell disenchantment individuality disposition Chinese intellectual history |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/2/220 |
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