Fan Zhen (c. 450–c. 510 CE) was a prominent materialist philosopher of the Southern Qi and Liang dynasties during the Southern Dynasties period. His courtesy name was Zizhen, and he was a native of Wuyin, Nanxiang Commandery (in present-day northwestern Biyang County, Henan).
Born into a humble family, Fan Zhen rose through merit to hold official posts under both the Qi and Liang courts, including Gentleman of the Palace Hall in the Ministry of Works (Shangshu Dianzhong Lang) and Left Vice-Director of the Department of State Affairs (Shangshu Zuocheng).
During his time, Buddhism enjoyed immense influence, especially under the patronage of powerful figures such as Emperor Wu of Liang (Xiao Yan) and Prince Jingling (Xiao Ziliang), both of whom were devout believers. Their advocacy caused Buddhist doctrines – particularly rebirth across the Three Ages and karmic retribution – to permeate court and society.
In response, Fan Zhen composed the bold and systematic treatise Shenmie Lun(“On the Annihilation of the Spirit”), in which he famously declared:
“So long as the body exists, the spirit exists; when the body perishes, the spirit perishes.”
This thesis directly challenged the Buddhist notion of an immortal soul or consciousness that transmigrates after death. Arguing from a proto-materialist and empiricist standpoint, Fan Zhen maintained that mental activity is inseparable from the physical body – comparing the spirit to the sharpness of a blade, which cannot exist apart from the blade itself.
His ideas provoked fierce debate, notably with Prince Jingling’s circle of scholar-monks, yet he stood firm. Though marginalized in his lifetime, Fan Zhen’s naturalistic worldview and critique of religious superstition laid important groundwork for later Chinese atheistic and rationalist thought.
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