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THE DEFINITE AND THE INDEFINITE
George Bosworth Burch, Tufts University
In the history of philosophy we find radical disagreement as to the relative value of the definite and the indefinite. In metaphysics sometimes the definite is called real, sometimes the indefinite. In ethics sometimes behaviour directed by a predilection for the definite is called wise, sometimes that directed by a predilection for the indefinite. Since the definite and the indefinite are the two most fundamental categories, other categories being species of one or the other, this controversy is a very basic one.
The controversy is most striking in Chinese philosophy. The story of Chinese thought from time immemorial has been the story of the opposition between the two philosophical traditions which we call Confucianist and Taoist. Confucianism is dominated by the ideals of rationality, symmetry, order, and definiteness. Man should be orderly in his inner life, and also in his domestic, social and political life. Government should be in the hands of the philosophers, rivers should be kept in their channels by dredging, and Heaven and Earth should be worshipped with due ceremony at their annual festivals. Taoism, which in modern times has merged with Chinese Buddhism, is dominated by the ideals of spontaneity, asymmetry, naturalness, and indefiniteness. Man should follow his instincts, have as little government as possible, and adjust himself to the natural course of the rivers and the whole way of nature. Confucianism produced the traditional Chinese political system, which has been the wonder of the world both for its intrinsic rationality and for its practical success over long periods of time. Taoism and Far Eastern Buddhism produced the Far Eastern poetry and art, in which the greatest canon is asymmetry, and which are also the wonder of the world for their beauty.
It used to be said that a Chinese scholar was a Confucianist when in office and a Taoist when out of office. This was
