Neo Confucianism, Wang Yangming: Intrdocutory Lecture

Wang Yangming (1472-1529) was a Chinese statesman, general, and Neo-Confucian philosopher. He was one of the leading critics of the orthodox Neo-Confucianism of Zhu Xi (1130-1200). Wang is perhaps best known for his doctrine of the “unity of knowing and acting,” which can be interpreted as a denial of the possibility of weakness of will.