Debating Transcendence: Creatio Ex Nihilo and Sheng Sheng

A bold and rigorous reexamination of transcendence--uniting religion, theology, philosophy, and science--while bridging Confucian and Christian thought to explore the origins of the world and human destiny

Debating Transcendence is a groundbreaking contribution to the ongoing dialogue between Confu-cian and Christian thought by addressing the transcendence debate--a key controversy that has shaped centuries of cross-cultural intellectual exchange. Song examines whether the Confucian concept of Tian (Heaven) or Taiji (Ultimate Limit) possesses a transcendent dimension comparable to Christian understandings of the Creator God. This study revisits the historical and philosophi-cal roots of the debate, tracing its evolution from early interactions between Confucianism and Christianity during the sixteenth century to present-day discussions.

At the heart of this book is Song’s aim to construct a Confucian definition of theology and a Confucian approach to comparative theology. Grounded in a scientifically rigorous methodology that transcends the conceptual boundaries of philosophy, religion, and theology, this new approach balances rootedness and impartiality, minimizing biases and revealing shared ground. Covering essential thinkers from the West and the East--such as Plato, Augustine, Descartes, and Paul Tillich alongside Confucius, Laozi, Wang Bi, and Zhu Xi--Song explores the historical development of key concepts such as creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing) and sheng sheng (birth birth), challenging misconceptions and highlighting underexplored commonalities and differences. Drawing from his diverse scholarly background and extensive engagement with both traditions, Song distinguishes Confucian from Daoist metaphysics and demonstrates that Confucian metaphysics, centered around the concept of generatio ex nihilo, offers a compelling framework for understanding transcendence that not only resembles but, in certain aspects, surpasses major streams of its Christian counterpart.

Readers seeking to understand the profound spiritual foundations underpinning interactions between China and the West will find Song’s work essential. Combining rigor, scope, and depth, Debating Transcendence paves the way for refreshed interactions between Confucian and Christian thought, offering insights vital to contemporary scholarship and interreligious exchange.

Bin Song is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Washington College, specializing in Confucianism, early modern philosophy, and comparative theology, with a focus on metaphysics, ethics, spirituality, and the intersections of Confucian and Christian thought. He is the author of Descartes’ Mechanical Philosophy, a study on metaphysical foundations of modern science, and has published translations of early modern European philosophy into Chinese and ancient Confucian meditation texts into English.