Jin Yuelin

Jin Yuelin (14 July 1895 – 19 October 1984), also known as Chin Yueh-Lin, was a Chinese philosopher and logician. He is best known for three major works, one each on logic, metaphysics, and epistemology. Jin was also a commentator on Bertrand Russell. Born in Changsha, Hunan, he attended Tsinghua University and later obtained a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University in 1920. In 1926, he founded the Department of Philosophy at Tsinghua University and was an active participant in the May Fourth Movement, contributing to the incorporation of the scientific method into philosophy. Jin was among the first to introduce modern logic into China and developed a philosophical system that combined Western and Chinese thought, particularly the concept of Tao. His work shows influences from Bertrand Russell's logical atomism and logicism. Jin's philosophical concepts include 'Stuff' (inexpressible matter/activity), 'Form' (that which contains Stuff), and 'Tao' (the universe resulting from the combination of Stuff and Form), emphasizing a fundamental oneness of all existence. He died in Beijing.