| Sumario: | The most accurate term which defines the thought of the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) is syncretism, since it was a period of reordering of previous schools of thought. Even Confucianism, which became the official ideology of the Chinese Empire and had as its main exponent in the philos opher Dong Zhongshu (c. 179–104 BCE), received the influence of other schools. Dong Zhongshu’s heirs introduced superstitions and exaggerations into Confucius’ original thinking, provoking re actions. The most important philosopher to react was Wang Chong (27–97 CE), who took a more ra- tional and pragmatic approach and has, more recently, been considered a “materialist”.
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