Xiong Shili in Conversation: Transcultural Epistolary Exchange on the Daodejing
Abstract
The present paper examines a letter that the Chinese philosopher Xiong Shili 熊十力 (1885‑1968) sent to the Italian journalist Luciano Magrini in 1936, with the purpose of elucidating the main purports of the Daodejing 道德經 (The Classic of the Way and Virtue). This letter will be studied from two different perspectives, thus achieving a twofold aim: on the one hand, as a witness to the relationship between these two intellectual personalities; on the other, as a valuable source for philosophical speculation. For this reason, the first part of the article will adopt a historical perspective, aiming at reconstructing the context and background of this epistolary exchange, while the second will engage philosophically with the content of the letter, clarifying Xiong’s interpretation of Daoist philosophy and relating it to his personal philosophical system.
Presentato: 15 Marzo 2025 | Accettato: 05 Maggio 2025 | Pubblicato 31 Luglio 2025 | Lingua: en
Keywords Cosmology • Twentieth century • Xiong Shili • Daodejing • Luciano Magrini • Chinese philosophy
Copyright © 2025 Linda Anna Pietrasanta. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/AnnOr/2385-3042/2025/01/011