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Xun Zi, one of the principal thinkers of the pre-imperial period and as such still widely read, ought to appear on any reading list on Chinese intellectual history. Dr. Sato's volume deals with the origin and formation of Xun Zi’s political thought, with close focus on the intellectual activity of the Jixia Academy and its impact on this synthesizer’s theory on rituals and social norms. The author convincingly deals with the problems of textual authenticity and biography. The main part of the work treats the shift of intellectual inquiry from an argument of ethical matters to an analysis of the principle(s) of socio-political mechanism, thus showing Xun Zi as a formative synthesizer of the two main streams of early Chinese intellectual discourse.
The "rise of China" has become a ubiquitous and often menacing term in global politics. China's Quest for Global Order: From Peaceful Rise to Harmonious World, by Rosita Dellios, PhD, and R. James Ferguson, PhD, examines how China's leadership has responded to this depiction and the strategic approaches that have been developed to ameliorate threat perceptions. Borrowing from its own Confucian heritage to promote a harmonious world policy, China's contribution to world order is likely to be more robust than the "responsible stakeholder" epithet upon which the West has pinned its collective hopes. The book interprets China's quest for global order from Chinese perspectives, old and new, and provides the relevant philosophical and historical background to engage the reader in the ensuing debates.
Demonstrating that the relation between practice and theory in early Confucianism is highly systematic, the author suggests that Confucianism represents a species of 'synthetic' philosophy, distinct from the analytical traditions of the West but equally rigorous in its attempt to disclose the foundations of understanding. He illustrates how theory served as an ancillary activity, expressing ethical insights derived from the systematic structure of core ritual practice, and legitimizing those insights in terms of teleological model of their efficacy in creating a divinely ordained political utopia. The central agenda of the early Confucians is pictured as the preservation and promotion of ritual skills and the aesthetic social perspectives they generate. Metaphysical and political theory serve as practical vehicles mediating between the skill-based philosophy of the early Confucian community and the changing features of the intellectual, social, and political environments in which that community had to survive.
Dr. Sato's volume deals with the origin and formation of the political thought of pre-imperial Xun Zi, with close focus on this synthesizer's formative theory on rituals and social norms.
This book examines the missing link between what came to be called Confucianism and Daoism.
Xiang explains the nature and depth of the legitimacy crisis facing the government of China, and why it is so frequently misunderstood in the West. Arguing that it is more helpful to understand the quest for legitimacy in China as an eternally dynamic process, rather than to seek resolutions in constitutionalism, Xiang examines the understanding of legitimacy in Chinese political philosophy. He posits that the current crisis is a consequence of the incompatibility of Confucian Republicanism and Soviet-inspired Bolshevism. The discourse on Chinese political reform tends to polarize, between total westernization on the one hand, or the rejection of western influence in all forms on the other. Xiang points to a third solution - meeting western democratic theories halfway, avoiding another round of violent revolution. This book provides valuable insights for scholars and students of China’s politics and political history.
The human spirit seems incapable of being stagnant, ever pushing the boundaries of knowledge and experience. We try to understand life through questions regarding our own existence, the nature of the universe, and the nature of God. The question of our collective heart is the external manifestation of an internal longing--a quest, if you will. This thirst to understand reality can be seen in superstructures that are scientific, social, political, and especially religious. When considering the doctrines, institutions, and rituals of religions, we observe certain core aspirations expressed by the people of these communities. These aspirations generate from an underlying quest which seeks a way out of our perceived predicament: a salvific quest. Regardless of whether we view ourselves as religious, pre-religious, post-religious, or non-religious, we find ourselves involved in such a quest; it seems to be an integral part of our human personhood. Using a unique framework of analysis, this book explores Christ's relevance to the quest expressed by the communities of eight major living religions--a relevance that neither degrades Christ nor demeans other "saviors." Christ is not part of the human quest, but is well equipped to satisfy that quest.
The intellectual legacy of Confucianism has loomed large in efforts to understand China's past, present, and future. While Confucian ethics has been thoroughly explored, the question remains: what exactly is Confucian political thought? Classical Confucian Political Thought returns to the classical texts of the Confucian tradition to answer this vital question. Showing how Confucian ethics and politics diverge, Loubna El Amine argues that Confucian political thought is not a direct application of Confucian moral philosophy. Instead, contrary to the conventional view that Confucian rule aims to instill virtue in all members of society, El Amine demonstrates that its main aim is to promote political order. El Amine analyzes key aspects of the Confucian political vision, including the relationship between the ruler and the people, the typology of rulers, and the role of ministers and government officials. She also looks at Confucianism’s account of the mechanisms through which society is to be regulated, from welfare policies to rituals. She explains that the Confucian conception of the political leaves space open for the rule of those who are not virtuous if these rulers establish and maintain political order. She also contends that Confucians defend the duty to take part in government based on the benefits that such participation can bring to society. Classical Confucian Political Thought brings a new understanding to Confucian political theory by illustrating that it is not chiefly idealistic and centered on virtue, but rather realistic and driven by political concerns.
Michael Ing's The Dysfunction of Ritual in Early Confucianism is the first monograph in English about the Liji--a text that purports to be the writings of Confucius' immediate disciples, and part of the earliest canon of Confucian texts called ''The Five Classics,'' included in the canon several centuries before the Analects. Ing uses his analysis of the Liji to show how early Confucians coped with situations where their rituals failed to achieve their intended aims. In contrast to most contemporary interpreters of Confucianism, Ing demonstrates that early Confucian texts can be read as arguments for ambiguity in ritual failure.