▁Fischer ▁ 2 0 1 2 : 1 5 9 6 – 1 6 1 8 ) ▁ ▁While ▁many ▁Masters ▁texts ▁discussed ▁the ▁importance ▁of ▁employ ing ▁worth ies ▁and ▁rect ifying ▁names , ▁the ▁Sh izi ▁exception ally ▁argued ▁for ▁det ached ▁object ivity ▁through ▁" ex am ining ▁reality " ▁() ▁and ▁" see ing ▁purely " ▁( ). ▁ ▁Syn cret ism ▁The ▁Sh izi ▁is ▁the ▁oldest ▁ext ant ▁text ▁from ▁the ▁Z aj ia ▁ ▁Syn cret ism ▁School , ▁which ▁is ▁described ▁as ▁the ▁" ec lect ic , ▁disc rimin ating , ▁select ive , ▁and ▁cons olid ating ▁tr end ▁in ▁philosoph ical ▁literature " ▁( S ell mann ▁ 2 0 1 2 : 2 ). ▁ ▁Sh izi ' s ▁writ ings ▁were ▁popular ▁for ▁centuries ▁before ▁the ▁compreh ensive ▁Syn cret ist ▁collections ▁( c . ▁ 2 3 9 ▁B CE ) ▁Lü sh i ▁Ch un q iu ▁and ▁( c . ▁ 1 3 9 ▁B CE ) ▁Hu ain an zi . ▁The ▁Han ▁scholar ▁D ong ▁Zh ong sh u ▁( 1 7 9 – 1 0 4 ▁B CE ) ▁used ▁the ▁Syn cret ic ▁method ▁to ▁combine ▁early ▁Conf u cian ism ▁with ▁Natural ist ▁and ▁Leg al ist ▁thought , ▁and ▁to ▁promote ▁Conf u cian ism ▁into ▁the ▁new ▁official ▁ide ology ▁of ▁Imperial ▁China . ▁Ult imately , ▁Fischer ▁( 2 0 1 2 : 2 6 2 ) ▁describes ▁Master