Lu Xiangshan

(born 1139, Kiangsi, Chinadied Jan. 10, 1193, China) Chinese Neo-Confucian philosopher of the Southern Song dynasty. A government official and a teacher, he was the rival of the great Neo-Confucian rationalist Zhu Xi. Lu taught that the highest knowledge of the way (dao) comes from constant inner reflection and self-examination. In this process, one develops or recovers the fundamental goodness of one's nature. Lu's writings were published after his death, and his thought was revised three centuries later by Wang Yangming, who established the Xinxue school of Neo-Confucianism, often called the Lu-Wang school.