Gongsun Long

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Gongsun Long (ca. 325–250 BC) was a member of the Logicians school of ancient Chinese philosophy. He also ran a school and enjoyed the support of rulers, and supported peaceful means of resolving disputes in contrast to the wars which were common in the period (the so-called Warring States Period). However, little is known about the particulars of his life, and furthermore many of his writings have been lost. All of his essays, fourteen originally but only six still extant, are included in the book Gongsun Longzi (公孫龍子).

He is best known for a series of paradoxes in the tradition of Hui Shi. His most famous work is White Horse Dialogue, structured as conversation between two parties, with one party proclaiming truth in the statement and the other questioning. The argument plays upon the dual semantic meanings of informal language, in particular the dual interpretations of 'is', being either:

"Is a member of the class entitled (x)"
"Is identical to concept (x)"

Thus a white horse is not a horse, because the concept of a white horse is not the same as the concept of a horse.

Two other paradoxes attributed to him are:

Only the features of things can be pointed out (named), and yet the world (and other wholes) can be named even though the world (or a whole thing) is not itself a feature of anything.
One and one cannot become two, since neither becomes two.

White Horse Dialogue

The White Horse Dialogue(白馬論, Báimǎ Lùn) can be read as a series of logical puzzles or paradoxes. For example, the treatise gets its name from the paradox "A white horse is not a horse", which Gongsun presents therein. The work has been viewed by some as a serious logical discourse, by others as a facetious work of sophistry, and finally by some as a combination of the two.

Other works

指物論 (Zhǐwù Lùn)
通變論 (Tōngbiàn Lùn)
堅白論 (Jiānbái Lùn)
名實論 (Míngshí Lùn)
跡府 (Jifǔ) "Storehouse of Traces"

Notes

References

Liu, Jianguo (2004). Distinguishing and Correcting the pre-Qin Forged Classics. Xi'an: Shaanxi People's Press. ISBN 7-224-05725-8.
McGreal, Ian P (1995). "Gongun Long" in Great Thinkers of the Eastern World. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0062700858.
Zhou, Yunzhi, "Gongsun Long" Encyclopedia of China (Philosophy Edition), 1st ed.

External links

Works by Gongsun Longzi at Project Gutenberg (In Chinese)
Full text of Gongsun Longzi

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