Self: The True Self

In this chapter, I will examine how the concept of self is interpreted in Emerson and Chinese philosophy. The concept of self in Emerson is closely related to the concept of soul and virtue. I will examine the logical relationship among self, soul and virtue. The concept of self in Chinese philosophy is closely related to heart-mind and virtue. In Confucianism, the mind is related to qing and qi and in Daoism, the concept of empty mind is emphasized and virtue of spontaneity (ziran) is stressed. In this chapter, I list the three core virtues in Emerson, Confucianism and Daoism: self-reliance in Emerson, benevolence in Confucianism and wandering in Daoism.