Robert Elliott Allinson is pleased to announce that he has published a single authored monograph, The Philosophical Influences of Mao Zedong: Notations, Reflections and Insights with Bloomsbury Academic Publishers, London, Oxford, New York, New Delhi and Sydney, 2020. It has received endorsements from the following:
“Mao Ze Dong 毛泽东is celebrated (or cursed) as a revolutionary leader, but the philosophical foundation of his activity is largely ignored. In his superb study, Allinson fills in this lack. Mao’s thought is not just located in its historical context; its complex references to the Chinese traditional thought, to Marx and Western philosophy, but also to modern sciences (quantum physics), are explored and documented. A new Mao thus emerges, a Mao whose radical acts are grounded in a thick texture of philosophical reflections. Allinson’s Mao is indispensable for everybody who wants to understand not just Mao but the concatenation of philosophy and politics that characterized the twentieth century.”
“毛泽东是著名的(或可恨的)革命领袖，但他的行为的哲学基础在很大程度上被忽视了。Allinson出色的研究中填补了这一空白。毛泽东的思想不仅存在于其历史背景中，他对中国传统思想，对马克思和西方哲学，以及对现代科学(量子物理学)的综合参考也得到了探索和记录。一个新的毛泽东就此诞生了，他的激进行为是建立在深刻的哲学思考的基础上的。对于那些不仅想了解毛泽东，而且想了解二十世纪特色的哲学和政治的结合的人来说，Allinson笔下的毛泽东是不可或缺的。”
Slavoj Žižek, International Director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, University of London, UK
“Who said that the Chinese Communist leaders are not thinkers? At least, Mao Zedong 毛泽东 was one, and lo and behold, there’s much more to it than meets the Marxist eye: he was actually a philosophical thinker! Has it ever occurred to you to associate Mao with Aristotle or with the ancient Chinese Book of Changes, the Yijing 易经? If you find it hard to believe, read this book by Robert Allinson who, in his own philosophical way, manages to inject new life and revived interest in this highly controversial but iconic figure which is still looming large behind the giant video screen of present day China.”
“谁说中国共产党领导人不是思想家？至少毛泽东就是其中一位。而且你瞧，不像马克思主义者看来那样简单， 毛泽东实际上是一位哲学思想家！你有没有想过把毛泽东和亚里士多德或中国古代的《易经》联系在一起？如果你觉得难以置信，那就来读读Allinson的这本书吧。Allinson以自己的哲学方式为这位极具争议但仍然隐藏在当今中国巨大荧幕背后的标志性人物注入了新的活力，并重新唤起了人们对毛泽东的兴趣。”
Anne Cheng, Chair of Chinese Intellectual History, Collège de France, Paris
“Through extensive research, involving not only Mao’s writings themselves but also the marginal notes he made on books he read, Allinson is able to trace the development of Mao’s thinking over the course of his lifetime and to demonstrate the degree to which he was actively engaged with both the Chinese and Western philosophical traditions throughout. This is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the intellectual history of China.”
“通过对毛泽东的著作本身以及他在所读书籍上的边注的广泛研究，Allinson成功地追溯了毛泽东一生的思想发展过程，并论证了他积极参与中西哲学传统的程度。这是对理解中国思想史的无价贡献。”
Michael Puett, Walter C. Klein, Professor of Chinese History and Anthropology, Harvard University, USA
“This is a most exciting and fascinating enterprise. It is a great observation that both Chinese and Western Philosophical Traditions nourished Mao. In short, Professor Allinson takes seriously the philosophical background. Professor Allinson’s connecting it with the Yijing [Book of Changes] 易经 is a new and fascinating departure. It is certainly important that it see the light of day as soon as possible. It is a magnificent statement on behalf of East-West philosophy.”
“这本书是一项最令人兴奋且着迷的成就，发表了中西哲学传统共同孕育毛泽东的伟大评论。简而言之，Allinson教授非常重视毛泽东的哲学背景。他将其与《易经》联系起来，创造了一个新的、引人入胜的开端。这本书的急需尽快问世，它是代表了东西方哲学的宏伟声明。”
Irene Eber, Former Director and Louis Frieberg Professor Emerita of Chinese History and Philosophy, Louis Frieberg Center for East Asian Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Former Senior Fellow, Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Philosophical Influences of Mao Zedong: Notations, Reflections and Insights has received reviews in
The China Quarterly, 1–2 (Qiong Wang,June 3, 2022); Dao, A Journal of Comparative Philosophy, 20(3), 499–503 (Keqian Xu, September 1, 2021); International Communication of Chinese Culture, 7(1), 53–56 (Janna Rosker, March 1, 2020); Asian Studies, 10(2), 399–403 (Selusi Ambrogio, May 9, 2022); Journal of Chinese Philosophy (David Chai – forthcoming); Philosophy East & West (Robert Neville – forthcoming), Mao Zedong Studies 毛泽东研究 (Keqian Xu – forthcoming).
Ambrogio, Selusi. “Robert E. Allinson: The Philosophical Influences of Mao Zedong. Notations, Reflections and Insights.” Asian Studies 10, no. 2 (May 9, 2022): 399–403. https://doi.org/10.4312/as.2022.10.2.399-403.
Rošker, Jana S. “Robert Elliott Allinson: Influences of Mao Zedong—Notations, Reflections and Insights.” International Communication of Chinese Culture 7, no. 1 (March 1, 2020): 53–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40636-020-00174-1.
Wang, Qiong. Review of The Philosophical Influences of Mao Zedong: Notations, Reflections and Insights, by Robert Elliott Allinson. The China Quarterly, June 3, 2022, 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305741022000728.
Xu, Keqian. Review of The Philosophical Influences of Mao Zedong: Notations, Reflections and Insights, by Robert Elliott Allinson. Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy 20, no. 3 (September 1, 2021): 499–503. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-021-09791-y.
