CHINESE PHILOSOPHY

the thought of Chinese culture, from earliest times to the present. The keynote in Chinese philosophy is humanism: man and his society have occupied, if not monopolized, the attention of Chinese philosophers throughout the ages. Ethical and political discussions have overshadowed any metaphysical speculation. It must quickly be added, however, that this humanism does not imply any indifference to a supreme power or to Nature. Instead, the general conclusion represented in Chinese philosophy is that of the unity of man and Heaven. This spirit of synthesis has characterized the entire history of Chinese philosophy.