PHILOSOPHER

Wang Yangming

1472 - 1529

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Wang Shouren (Chinese: 王守仁, 26 October 1472 – 9 January 1529), courtesy name Bo'an (Chinese: 伯安), art name Yangmingzi (traditional Chinese: 陽明子; simplified Chinese: 阳明子), usually referred to as Wang Yangming (traditional Chinese: 王陽明; simplified Chinese: 王阳明), was a Chinese statesman, general, and Neo-Confucian philosopher during the Ming dynasty. After Zhu Xi, he is commonly regarded as the most important Neo-Confucian thinker, for his interpretations of Confucianism that denied the rationalist dualism of the orthodox philosophy of Zhu Xi. Wang and Lu Xiangshan are regarded as the founders as the Lu–Wang school, or the School of the Mind. In China, Japan, and Western countries, he is known by his honorific name rather than his private name. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Wang Yangming is the 299th most popular philosopher (up from 331st in 2019), the 161st most popular biography from China (up from 209th in 2019) and the 12th most popular Chinese Philosopher.

Wang Yangming is most famous for his philosophy of the unity of knowledge and action. He believed that knowledge and action are one and the same, and that the mind is the source of all knowledge.

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Among PHILOSOPHERS

Among philosophers, Wang Yangming ranks 299 out of 1,267. Before him are Miskawayh, Rudolf Bultmann, Bruno Bauer, Strato of Lampsacus, Heraclides Ponticus, and William Godwin. After him are Houston Stewart Chamberlain, Otto Weininger, Guy Debord, Arnaldus de Villa Nova, Celsus, and Lev Shestov.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1472, Wang Yangming ranks 5. Before him are Lucas Cranach the Elder, Piero the Unfortunate, Fra Bartolomeo, and Bianca Maria Sforza. After him are Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, Simon of Trent, Marie of Luxembourg, Countess of Vendôme, Érard de la Marck, Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen, Blanche of Montferrat, and Anne de Mowbray, 8th Countess of Norfolk. Among people deceased in 1529, Wang Yangming ranks 2. Before him is Baldassare Castiglione. After him are La Malinche, Andrea Sansovino, Jan Provoost, John Skelton, Juan del Encina, and Álvaro de Saavedra Cerón.

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In China

Among people born in China, Wang Yangming ranks 161 out of 1,610. Before him are Liu Xiaobo (1955), Zhu De (1886), Hongzhi Emperor (1470), Faxian (340), Wen Jiabao (1942), and Soong Mei-ling (1897). After him are Emperor Renzong of Song (1010), Tianqi Emperor (1605), Han Xin (-231), Empress Wanrong (1906), Zhang Yimou (1950), and Kaidu (1230).

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Among PHILOSOPHERS In China

Among philosophers born in China, Wang Yangming ranks 12. Before him are Mencius (-372), Mozi (-470), Han Fei (-280), Xun Kuang (-313), Milarepa (1052), and Shen Kuo (1031). After him are Han Yu (768), Ban Zhao (45), Guan Zhong (-720), Dong Zhongshu (-179), Zhiyi (538), and Ge Hong (284).

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