A Brief Study of the Practical Wisdom in YAN Yuan’s (1635–1704) Pragmatic Thought

Abstract

Yan Yuan (1635–1704) was a thinker of the pragmatic empirical school of the early Qing China (1644–1911). The core concept of his thought is that practices for governing the country and benefitting the people should be for achieving unity of the “inner sagehood and outer rulership”. According to the viewpoint of Aristotle’s (384–322 BC) practical wisdom, this paper is mainly discussing two parts: the meaning of the concept of practical wisdom, and the practical activities of practical wisdom in Yan Yuan’s pragmatic thought. The result of the research shows that Yan’s pragmatic thought has four characteristics: practicality, militancy, plebeianisation and national identity. However, Yan Yuan only focused on knowledge derived from concrete rational thinking and direct sensory experiences. Therefore, his practical wisdom limited his practices to the personal realm, meaning they were ultimately unable to develop into the social or human realms. Although Yan Yuan’s pragmatic empirical school was formed during the period of feudalism in China, there still exists universal value in his practical wisdom, and it has contemporary value for exploring the meaning of life.