Wang Chong 27 – c. 100
Wang Chong (27 – c. 100) was a Chinese philosopher of the Ancient era, associated with Confucianism.
Wang Chong was a Chinese philosopher of the Eastern Han dynasty and one of the most original critical and naturalist thinkers of the classical Chinese tradition. His Lunheng, the Balanced Discourses, mounted a comprehensive skeptical critique of the popular religion, divination, and the more credulous strands of Han-era cosmology, defending an austere naturalism in which heaven is not a moral agent but the regular operation of the natural world. He held no major office, lived most of his life in poverty, and was rediscovered in twentieth-century Chinese intellectual life as a forerunner of materialist and rationalist thought.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Chinese
- Era
- Ancient
- Movements
- Confucianism
Selected quotes
-
Attributed to Wang Chong:
“Heaven does not speak; only men attribute speech to it.”
-
Attributed to Wang Chong:
“What we call portents are nothing but the regular operation of nature.”
-
Attributed to Wang Chong:
“The educated man should believe nothing on the authority of repetition alone.”
-
Attributed to Wang Chong:
“If the dead truly returned as ghosts, the roads would be impassable.”
-
Attributed to Wang Chong:
“Reason, not custom, is the proper measure of the truth of any claim.”
Frequently asked about Wang Chong
- When did Wang Chong live?
- Wang Chong was born in 27 and died in c. 100.
- Where was Wang Chong from?
- Wang Chong was a Chinese philosopher of the Ancient era.
- What philosophical movements is Wang Chong associated with?
- Wang Chong was associated with Confucianism.
- What was Wang Chong known for?
- Wang Chong was a Chinese philosopher of the Eastern Han dynasty and one of the most original critical and naturalist thinkers of the classical Chinese tradition.
- How many quotes are attributed to Wang Chong?
- There are 15 attributed quotations from Wang Chong in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.