Entre « philosophie » et « religion ». L’image des lettrés chinois selon Alessandro Valignano au tournant de l’année 1588

Abstract

Title: The image of Chinese literati according to Alessandro Valignano at the turn of the year 1588: Between «philosophy» and «religion» Abstract: In this article, we observe two Western categories used by the Jesuits to describe Chinese thought in their first descriptions of China: philosophy and religion. For this purpose, we examine three writings of Alessandro Valignano S. J (1539-1606), the supreme leader of the mission in China and Japan: the Historia del principio y progresso de la Compañía de Jesús en las Indias orientales (1542-64) of 1583; a letter from Valignano addressed to General Claudio Acquaviva (1543-1615) on November 11, 1588; the De missione legatorum iaponensium ad Romanam Curiam published in 1590. The image of Confucianism that was presented as a «philosophy» indifferent, even opposed to religion, switches into the field of religion.