WANG CH'UNG

born AD 27, , K'uei-chi, China died 100?, K'uei-chi Pinyin Wang Chong one of the most original and independent Chinese thinkers of the Han period (206 BC-AD 220). A rationalistic naturalist during an age of superstition, Wang dared attack the belief in omens and portents that had begun to creep into the Confucian doctrines. He helped pave the way for the critical spirit of the next philosophical period and prepared China for the advent of Neo-Taoism. Born into a poor family and orphaned at an early age, Wang did much of his reading in a bookstore. He held a few minor government positions, but during much of his life he taught in his hometown. Accepting Confucius, Wang opposed the contemporary, debased Confucianism. He declared that natural things occur spontaneously and that there is no such thing as teleology. Wang rejected the notion that man's actions influence the workings of the natural universe (i.e., a bad king will produce bad weather). He stated that man, though noble and intelligent, has no exceptional position in the universe. A rationalist, he insisted that any theory must be supported by concrete evidence and experimental proof. Wang has never been greatly popular in China, though in the 20th century the prevailing critical spirit, scientific method, and revolt against the past have attracted new attention to his ideas. His outstanding work, the trenchant and critical Lun-heng ("Disquisitions"), written about 85, has been translated into English by Alfred Forke (2 vol., 1907-11).