Esther Klein (ANU, School of Culture, History and Language)

The Lunheng 論衡 is known to tradition as a cantankerous, mud-slinging sort of text. It takes aim at the beliefs of its day, from everyday popular superstitions all the way up to the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. Defenders of tradition have accused Wang Chong of hypocrisy, since his positive views often seem no better supported than the views he argues against. By contrast, defenders of Wang Chong have hailed his “critical spirit” and celebrate what are construed as his successes of rationality, such as his critique of the idea that heaven rewards the good and punishes the bad. In this talk, I try to give a sense of what this so-called “critical spirit” actually is—not just a personality trait,, but the reflection of an underlying theory of knowledge. I attempt to reconstruct Lunheng’s theory of knowledge from an emic perspective, analysing the epistemic terms and concepts Wang Chong himself relies on.