Recent interest in Confucianism has a tendency to suffer from essentialism and idealism, manifested in a variety of ways. One example is to think of Confucianism in terms of the views attributed to one representative of the tradition, such as Kongzi (Confucius) (551-479 BCE) or Mengzi (Mencius) (372 - 289 BCE) or one school or strand of the tradition, most often the strand or tradition associated with Mengzi or, in the later tradition, that formed around the commentaries and interpretation of Zhu Xi (1130-1200). Another such tendency is to think of Confucianism in terms of its manifestations in only one country; this is almost always China for the obvious reasons that China is one of the most powerful and influential states in the world today. A third tendency is to present Confucianism in terms of only one period or moment in the tradition; for example, among ethical and political philosophers, pre-Qin Confucianism--usually taken to be the writings attributed to Kongzi, Mengzi, and, if we are lucky, Xunzi (479-221 BCE)--often is taken as "Confucianism." These and other forms of essentialism and idealism have led to a widespread and deeply entrenched impression that Confucianism is thoroughly homogenous and monolithic (these often are "facts" mustered to support the purportedly oppressive, authoritarian, and constricted nature of the tradition); such impressions can be found throughout East Asia and dominate in the West. This is quite deplorable for it gives us no genuine sense of the creatively rich, philosophically powerful, highly variegated, and still very much open-ended nature of the Confucian tradition. This volume addresses this misconstrual and misrepresentation of Confucianism by presenting a philosophically critical account of different Confucian thinkers and schools, across place (China, Korea, and Japan) and time (the 10th to 19th centuries).

Three Streams: Confucian Reflections on Learning and the Moral Heart-Mind in China, Korea, and Japan

Politics & Social Sciences

Ivanhoe, Philip J.

Philosophy

Oxford University Press

At the center of a constellation of key ideas in East Asian philosophical traditions, there lies a conception of oneness among human beings. Human beings are intricately and inextricably intertwined and share a common destiny with other people, creatures, and things. The ramifications of this idea are wide-reaching, and resonate with important debates and concerns in contemporary Western philosophy, but many at the forefront of their fields in the West are unaware of the fundamental shift in perspective that might be available to them. One of Ivanhoe's aims in this work is to challenge the dominant paradigm of hyper-individualism, which still enjoys a commanding position in a great deal of contemporary theory and practice in the humanities and social sciences, and to describe and advocate for an alternative conception and sense of self, world, and the relationship between them. In particular, Ivanhoe, who has an extensive background in and has published influential work on virtue ethics and Asian philosophy, investigates the implications of oneness for conceptions of the self, virtue, and human happiness. Through the lens of oneness, he explores topics such as conceptions of the self, selfishness and self-centeredness, virtues, spontaneity, and happiness, drawing support from wide-ranging, interdisciplinary sources. Rather than starting from the standpoint of Western philosophy and then reaching out to Asian philosophy from a distance, Ivanhoe advances a thesis drawn from East Asian sources and explicitly challenges the theoretical asymmetry that is characteristic of most comparative study, which often simply applies Western theories to non-Western material.

Oneness: East Asian Conceptions of Virtue, Happiness, and How We Are All Connected

Confucian Reflections: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times

Confucian Reflections: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times is about the early Chinese Confucian classic the "Analects" Lunyu, attributed to the founder of the Confucian tradition, Kongzi (551-479 bce) and who is more commonly referred to as "Confucius" in the West. Philip J. Ivanhoe argues that the Analects is as relevant and important today as it has proven to be over the course of its more than 2000 year history, not only for the people who live in East Asian societies but for all human beings. The fact that this text has inspired so many talented people for so long, across a range of complex, creative, rich, and fascinating cultures offers a strong prima facie reason for thinking that the insights the Analects contains are not bound by either the particular time or cultural context in which the text took shape.

Reference

Routledge

Confucian Reflections: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times is about the early Chinese Confucian classic the "Analects" Lunyu, attributed to the founder of the Confucian tradition, Kongzi (551-479 bce) and who is more commonly referred to as "Confucius" in the West. Philip J. Ivanhoe argues that the Analects is as relevant and important today as it has proven to be over the course of its more than 2000 year history, not only for the people who live in East Asian societies but for all human beings. The fact that this text has inspired so many talented people for so long, across a range of complex, creative, rich, and fascinating cultures offers a strong prima facie reason for thinking that the insights the Analects contains are not bound by either the particular time or cultural context in which the text took shape.

This collection of essays by leading sinologists, historians, and philosophers both challenges and extends the work of David Nivison, whose contributions range across moral philosophy, religious thought, intellectual history, and Chinese language. Nivison himself replies to each essay.

Chinese Language, Thought, and Culture: Nivison and His Critics (Critics & Their Critics) (English and Chinese Edition)

History

Asia

Open Court

Confucian Moral Self Cultivation

A concise and accessible introduction to the evolution of the concept of moral self-cultivation in the Chinese Confucian tradition, this volume begins with an explanation of the pre-philosophical development of ideas central to this concept, followed by an examination of the specific treatment of self cultivation in the philosophy of Kongzi ("Confucius"), Mengzi ("Mencius"), Xunzi, Zhu Xi, Wang Yangming, Yan Yuan and Dai Zhen. In addition to providing a survey of the views of some of the most influential Confucian thinkers on an issue of fundamental importance to the tradition, Ivanhoe also relates their concern with moral self-cultivation to a number of topics in the Western ethical tradition. Bibliography and index are included.

Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.

Ethics in the Confucian Tradition: The Thought of Mengzi and Wang Yangming

This volume serves both as an introduction to the thought of Mengzi (Mencius) and Wang Yangming and as a comparison of their views. By examining issues held in common by both thinkers, Ivanhoe illustrates how the Confucian tradition was both continued and transformed by Wang Yangming, and shows the extent to which he was influenced by Buddhism. Topics explored are: the nature of morality; human nature; the nature and origin of wickedness; self cultivation; and sagehood. In addition to revised versions of each of these original chapters, Ivanhoe includes a new chapter on Kongzi's (Confucius') view of the Way.

This volume serves both as an introduction to the thought of Mengzi (Mencius) and Wang Yangming and as a comparison of their views. By examining issues held in common by both thinkers, Ivanhoe illustrates how the Confucian tradition was both continued and transformed by Wang Yangming, and shows the extent to which he was influenced by Buddhism. Topics explored are: the nature of morality; human nature; the nature and origin of wickedness; self cultivation; and sagehood. In addition to revised versions of each of these original chapters, Ivanhoe includes a new chapter on Kongzi's (Confucius') view of the Way.

The Sense of Antirationalism: The Religious Thought of Zhuangzi and Kierkegaard

This book is a collaborative, comparative study of the religious thought of Zhuangzi, a fourth century B.C.E. Chinese Daoist, and Søren Kierkegaard, a nineteenth century Danish Christian. After offering a sense of the historical and intellectual contexts of each thinker, we argue that they develop distinct but related conceptions of a view we call anti-rationalism. We show how antirationalism characterizes their respective philosophies, helps us make sense of important aspects of their thought, and addresses issues that continue to fascinate reflective individuals today.

The Sense Of Antirationalism: The Religious Thought Of Zhuangzi And Kierkegaard

Religion & Spirituality

Karen L. Carr

Religious Studies

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Confucian ethics. Mencius -- Ethics. Wang, Yangming, -- 1472-1529 -- Ethics.

Ethics in the Confucian Tradition: The Thought of Mencius and Wang Yang-ming (AAR Academy Series)

Other Eastern Religions & Sacred Texts

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ivanhoe, Philip J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Ivanhoe, Philip J.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ivanhoe, Philip J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Three Streams: Confucian Reflections on Learning and the Moral Heart-Mind in China, Korea, and Japan

Oneness: East Asian Conceptions of Virtue, Happiness, and How We Are All Connected

Confucian Reflections: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times

Confucian Reflections: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times

Chinese Language, Thought, and Culture: Nivison and His Critics (Critics & Their Critics) (English and Chinese Edition)

Confucian Moral Self Cultivation

Ethics in the Confucian Tradition: The Thought of Mengzi and Wang Yangming

Ethics in the Confucian Tradition: The Thought of Mengzi and Wang Yangming

The Sense Of Antirationalism: The Religious Thought Of Zhuangzi And Kierkegaard

Ethics in the Confucian Tradition: The Thought of Mencius and Wang Yang-ming (AAR Academy Series)