The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
1011-1077
Chinese philosopher whose ideas later influenced Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) in his development of a binary arithmetical system—that is, one based on just two digits. Shao, who began as a Taoist and went on to embrace Confucianism and become one of the leading proponents of the neo-Confucianist school, first took an interest in Confucianism after studying the I Ching, or, (Book of changes). This book also influenced him to undertake numerological studies, and Shao Yung became convinced that the number 4 played a unifying role in existence. His idea that there is an underlying pattern for all that is—a pattern existent as much in the human mind as in the world of perceived experience—had an enormous impact on Confucian idealism.