On the School of Names in Ancient China

The present study on ancient Chinese philosophy invites us to meet a challenging task in philosophical understanding. The so-called “School of Names” (Mingjia) is a label for a diverse group of thinkers in the Warring States period (479–221 B. C.) that has sometimes been accused of dabbling in flippant linguistic and conceptual puzzles, paradoxes, or sophistries. Bernard Solomon analyzes the works of its two main representatives, namely Huizi (Master Hui, or Hui Shi, 380–305 B. C.?) and Gongsun Long (b. 380 B. C.?). Bernard S. Solomon holds a Ph. D. in Far Eastern Languages of Harvard University (1952) and was a long-time Professor of Chinese in the Department of Classical and Oriental Languages at Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY).