An Analysis of Wang Yangming’s Philosophy of Mind and Beauty

Abstract

During the Ming Dynasty, society was undergoing a transition towards modernity, which led to a significant clash between traditional beliefs and emerging ideas in the philosophical realm. Wang Yangming, inheriting and further developing the teachings of Lu Xiangshan, played a crucial role in bridging the traditional and contemporary philosophical paradigms. Although Wang Yangming’s philosophy does not explicitly address aesthetics, his deep artistic cultivation naturally imbues his discourse with an emotional dimension and rich aesthetic thought. This paper, grounded in Wang Yangming’s philosophical theories, explores the aesthetic implications within the context of Yangming’s thought. It argues that the essence of beauty is rooted in the "mind" (xin). Due to both the commonalities and individual differences inherent in the "mind," humans are able to appreciate the beauty of others as well as their own unique beauty. The ultimate form of beauty, as described by Wang Yangming, is the "realm of moral consciousness" (liangzhi jingjie), with the pursuit of "realizing innate knowledge" (zhi liangzhi) being the path to discovering this ultimate beauty.