| This dissertation examines Ge Hong's (283-343) ethical thought contained in his seminal work, the Baopuzi, to show that ethics and morality, far from being peripheral to Ge's major concerns, are intimately linked to them. Furthermore, by showing the centrality of ethics in Ge's worldview, a broader and deeper understanding of Chinese political and religious practices of the late Han, Three Kingdoms, and Wei-Jin periods is made possible. This goal is accomplished by thoroughly examining the text of the Baopuzi and locating the material therein in greater Chinese intellectual and social currents. This dissertation demonstrates that ethical and moral considerations play a major role in defining what constitutes for Ge both a good society and a transcendent individual, and beyond that it points to the possibility that ethics may play a greater role in many areas of Chinese thought and practice previously considered to be amoral or relatively uninvolved in ethics and morality. |
