Wang Yangming

Wang Yangming argued that genuine knowledge and moral action are inseparable, meaning that truly knowing what is right necessarily leads to acting on it. He rejected the earlier Neo-Confucian view, associated with Zhu Xi, that one must first investigate external things to acquire knowledge before being able to act morally.

Zhu Xi taught that moral cultivation required the 'investigation of things' through gradual external study and accumulation of knowledge. Wang Yangming rejected this approach, arguing instead that moral principle is innate in the mind and accessible through direct introspection, making him the leading figure of the School of Mind within Neo-Confucianism.

Wang Yangming lived from 1472 to 1529 during the Ming dynasty in China. He was not only a philosopher but also a military general and government official who successfully suppressed rebellions, which gave practical weight to his doctrine that knowledge and action must be unified.

Wang Yangming's most influential text is the 'Chuanxilu,' or 'Instructions for Practical Living,' a compilation of his conversations and letters assembled by his disciples. This work lays out his core philosophical ideas, including the unity of knowledge and action and the concept of 'zhi liangzhi,' or the extension of innate knowledge.