Unity of knowledge and action

The Unity of knowledge and action (知行合一) is a concept in philosophy created by Wang Yangming. It means that knowledge and action should go together and help each other. This idea says that only by behaving well can someone become wise.[1] It is similar to the Western idea called virtue epistemology.

Overview

In Chinese philosophy, knowledge and action were usually seen as related but different. Wang disagreed and said there was no difference between them. He thought that knowledge was knowing how to act in a situation, based on his ideas about people and their innate knowledge. He also believed that the world was always changing, rather than staying the same,[1] which is similar to the Western idea of Process philosophy.

History

Wang Yangming created the idea during the Ming dynasty.[2][3]

Wang Yangming disagreed with the teachings of Zhu Xi, a famous philosopher. Zhu Xi encouraged students to study in two parts, one theoretical and one practical. Wang believed this approach made people ineffective.[4][5]

Application

Western philosophers talk about akrasia, which is when someone does something they know is wrong on purpose. But Wang disagrees. He says that just saying you know something is wrong isn't enough. You have to actually act on what you know for it to count. For example, if a student cheats on a test but says cheating is wrong, Wang would say they don't really understand what they're saying..[6]

Similar ideas

The idea of combining knowledge and action is not exclusive to Chinese philosophy. Similar ideas can be found in Western literature. Hermann Hesse in his novel Demian writes that only the thoughts we put into action have real value.[7] The motto of MIT, "Mens et Manus" or "Mind and Hand," also emphasizes the importance of combining inner knowledge with actions.[8]

The idea of virtue Epistemology in contemporary Western philosophy also shares similarities with Wang Yangming's concept of the Unity of Knowledge and Action. Both emphasize the importance of practical wisdom and the integration of knowledge and action.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Wang Yangming (Wang Shou-Jen) | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy". Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  2. ↑ The Unity of Knowledge and Action.
  3. ↑ Lv, Xianli; Wu, Zhongxue (June 2018). "The philosophy of 'unity of knowledge and action' in interventional neuroradiology teaching". The Neuroradiology Journal. 31 (3): 330–332. doi:10.1177/1971400917707350. ISSN 1971-4009. PMC 5958493. PMID 28660798.
  4. ↑ https://philpapers.org/archive/LEDWIT.pdf
  5. ↑ https://philpapers.org/archive/LEDWIT.pdf
  6. ↑ Van Norden, Bryan (2022), "Wang Yangming", in Zalta, Edward N.; Nodelman, Uri (eds.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2022 ed.), Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, retrieved 2023-04-07
  7. ↑ Hesse, Hermann. (2019). Demian. Dreamscape Media. ISBN 978-1-9749-3912-1. OCLC 1080083089.
  8. ↑ "Mind and hand". MIT Admissions. Retrieved 2020-02-14.