“Heaven and earth are produced from Nature. The myriad things are produced from Heaven and Earth. Nature has nothing outside it; thus it is the name of heaven and earth together.” (Ruan Ji)
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Key concepts in Chinese philosophy concerning the natural order, its metaphysics and cosmology.
What will we cover?
Starting from the Yijing (‘Book of Changes’) and its understanding of the natural order as an interplay of ‘Yin’ (‘cooling-down’, ‘dissipating’) and ‘Yang’ (‘heating-up’, ‘concentrating’), we will discuss a network of core concepts such as Tian (‘Heaven’), Dao (‘Way’), Li (‘Principle’), Qi (‘movement’), Ziran (‘spontaneous arising’), Zhi (‘Stuff’), Wu (‘Thing’), and so on .
These concepts will be presented through a selection of quotes & extracts from relevant sources.
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
Discuss the significance of Yin and Yang in understanding the natural order.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
No knowledge of Chinese (Mandarin) language is required, all material is presented in English. Participants are recommended to use the Google Classroom facility in order to access slides, readings & links. More broadly, the podcast series:
As with all humanities courses, an open mind and a willingness to listen and respond with respect to ideas with which you may not always agree are more important than specific levels of skill.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The format will be that of a seminar with short slide presentations, Q&A and discussion. All course material will be available via Google Classroom.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
No other costs. You might wish to bring note-taking materials if you plan to take notes.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
You might be interested in the follow-on course HP302 Chinese philosophy: ethics and politics.
From reading Philosophy at a young age to the formal study of Cognitive Science, Philosophy & Psychology at the Universities of London and Sussex - after a prior career in video-arts - John Goff has been presenting philosophy courses to adults since the early 2000s. He uses a cross-disciplinary, seminar-based approach in his courses, drawing on Philosophy, Psychology and the wider Humanities & Social Sciences with an emphasis on the intersection of contemporary and classical European and Asian philosophical thought. He is the author of several works of philosophical fiction concerning artificial minds and organisms and alternative-human worlds including the novel 'The Last Days of the Most Hidden Man' and the novellas 'Eidopolis', 'Agents of Erasure', 'Jupiter|Saturn' and 'Sleep|Nothing|Asylum'. His academic writings can be found on his academia.edu page at 'https://independentscholar.academia.edu/JohnGoff'.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
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https://www.citylit.ac.uk/chinese-philosophy-the-nature-of-nature3062158Chinese Philosophy: the nature of naturehttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/pre-socratic-philosophers-HP125-1024.jpg149149GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Philosophy, religion, & ideas/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Philosophy, religion, & ideas/Philosophy/Courses/Online courses228511771404157917311228511771404<p>“Heaven and earth are produced from Nature. The myriad things are produced from Heaven and Earth. Nature has nothing outside it; thus it is the name of heaven and earth together.” (Ruan Ji) </p>003062116Chinese Philosophy: the nature of nature149149https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/pre-socratic-philosophers-HP125-1024.jpgInStockDaytimeSatOnlineAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekend2026-09-19T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allSep 2026Culture, history & humanitiesHP296149149Chinese Philosophy: the nature of nature11997149John Goffchinese-philosophy-the-nature-of-nature/hp296-2627<p>“Heaven and earth are produced from Nature. The myriad things are produced from Heaven and Earth. Nature has nothing outside it; thus it is the name of heaven and earth together.” (Ruan Ji) </p>0000-Available|2026-09-19 00:00:00<p>Key concepts in Chinese philosophy concerning the natural order, its metaphysics and cosmology. </p><p>“Heaven and earth are produced from Nature. The myriad things are produced from Heaven and Earth. Nature has nothing outside it; thus it is the name of heaven and earth together.” (Ruan Ji) </p><p>Starting from the Yijing (‘Book of Changes’) and its understanding of the natural order as an interplay of ‘Yin’ (‘cooling-down’, ‘dissipating’) and ‘Yang’ (‘heating-up’, ‘concentrating’), we will discuss a network of core concepts such as Tian (‘Heaven’), Dao (‘Way’), Li (‘Principle’), Qi (‘movement’), Ziran (‘spontaneous arising’), Zhi (‘Stuff’), Wu (‘Thing’), and so on .</p><p>These concepts will be presented through a selection of quotes & extracts from relevant sources. </p><p>Discuss the significance of Yin and Yang in understanding the natural order. </p><p>No knowledge of Chinese (Mandarin) language is required, all material is presented in English. Participants are recommended to use the Google Classroom facility in order to access slides, readings & links. More broadly, the podcast series: </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://historyofphilosophy.net/change" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps: China-Change</a> </p><p> </p><p>may be useful, as well as entries in: </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://iep.utm.edu/category/traditions/chinese/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Chinese Philosophy</a> </p><p> </p><p>The reference work for this course is: </p><p>Zhang Dainian (2002) <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/3QxGFZxghJIC" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Key Concepts in Chinese Philosophy</a> (please note that this is an academic source text, you do not need a copy). </p><p>As with all humanities courses, an open mind and a willingness to listen and respond with respect to ideas with which you may not always agree are more important than specific levels of skill.</p><p>The format will be that of a seminar with short slide presentations, Q&A and discussion. All course material will be available via Google Classroom. </p><p>No other costs. You might wish to bring note-taking materials if you plan to take notes.</p><p>You might be interested in the follow-on course HP302 Chinese philosophy: ethics and politics.</p>Philosophy, religion, & ideasPhilosophyvirtual11914997HP296NONESat19/09/26 - 24/10/2615:00 - 16:3015:0016:306 sessions (over 6 weeks)65-10 weeksDaytimeWeekendOnlineOnlineJohn GoffBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2026-09-19T00:00:00+00:00Sep 2026Culture, history & humanities149149Chinese Philosophy: the nature of naturechinese-philosophy-the-nature-of-nature/hp296-2627<p>“Heaven and earth are produced from Nature. The myriad things are produced from Heaven and Earth. Nature has nothing outside it; thus it is the name of heaven and earth together.” (Ruan Ji) </p>0000-Available|2026-09-19 00:00:00<p>Key concepts in Chinese philosophy concerning the natural order, its metaphysics and cosmology. </p><p>“Heaven and earth are produced from Nature. The myriad things are produced from Heaven and Earth. Nature has nothing outside it; thus it is the name of heaven and earth together.” (Ruan Ji) </p><p>Starting from the Yijing (‘Book of Changes’) and its understanding of the natural order as an interplay of ‘Yin’ (‘cooling-down’, ‘dissipating’) and ‘Yang’ (‘heating-up’, ‘concentrating’), we will discuss a network of core concepts such as Tian (‘Heaven’), Dao (‘Way’), Li (‘Principle’), Qi (‘movement’), Ziran (‘spontaneous arising’), Zhi (‘Stuff’), Wu (‘Thing’), and so on .</p><p>These concepts will be presented through a selection of quotes &amp; extracts from relevant sources. </p><p>Discuss the significance of Yin and Yang in understanding the natural order. </p><p>No knowledge of Chinese (Mandarin) language is required, all material is presented in English. Participants are recommended to use the Google Classroom facility in order to access slides, readings &amp; links. More broadly, the podcast series: </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://historyofphilosophy.net/change" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps: China-Change</a> </p><p> </p><p>may be useful, as well as entries in: </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://iep.utm.edu/category/traditions/chinese/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Chinese Philosophy</a> </p><p> </p><p>The reference work for this course is: </p><p>Zhang Dainian (2002) <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/3QxGFZxghJIC" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Key Concepts in Chinese Philosophy</a> (please note that this is an academic source text, you do not need a copy). </p><p>As with all humanities courses, an open mind and a willingness to listen and respond with respect to ideas with which you may not always agree are more important than specific levels of skill.</p><p>The format will be that of a seminar with short slide presentations, Q&amp;A and discussion. All course material will be available via Google Classroom. </p><p>No other costs. You might wish to bring note-taking materials if you plan to take notes.</p><p>You might be interested in the follow-on course HP302 Chinese philosophy: ethics and politics.</p>Philosophy, religion, & ideasPhilosophyconfigurable
15791404Philosophyhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/philosophy-religion-belief/philosophy1/2/285/1177/1404/15791/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Philosophy, religion, & ideas/Philosophy
