Graham, A.C. Disputers of the Tao: Philosophical Argument in Ancient China. La Salle, IL. Open Court, 1989.

Abstract

The classical age of Chinese philosophy (500-200 B.C.) coincides with the final decline of the Chou empire and the period of "warring states" (403-221 B.C.), an exceptional era in Chinese history when there was no central authority which could claim to rule the entire civilized world. In the absence of a single unified state power enforcing conformity, there blossomed a hundred schools of thought. Philosophical argument and rational debate flourished in China as never before or since. This book tells the fascinating story of classical Chinese thought in a way which combines readability with state-of-the-art scholarship. Disputers of the Tao is an absorbing introduction for the general reader, a comprehensive history for the student, and brimming with bold new insights for the specialist. Although the world's most distinguished experts on Chinese culture have already hailed Disputers of the Tao as a great achievement, it will prove vital for the non-scholar who wants to begin to understand China's place in world culture.