Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Chinese Cultures, 2nd Edition (Ser. III, Vol. 3)

The book is a collection of some of my papers published in China between 1982 and 1988 and some lectures delivered outside China during the same period. It consists of four parts: Part I reflects my general views regarding the structure of Chinese philosophy in terms of its categories and treatment of the true, the good and the beautiful, as well as its recent progress and future prospects. Part II is my evaluation of Confucianism. The article entitled An Inquiry into the Possibility of the Third Phase Development of Confucianism was originally a lecture at The Seventeenth World Congress of Philosophy, and on the whole, represents my viewpoint of recent years toward traditional Chinese philosophy. In The Problem of Harmonious Communities in Ancient China, I try to sort out the positive and negative influence of Confucian philosophy upon Chinese society and to indicate that the ideal of a harmonious society can always heighten the spiritual level of people. Part III concerns the native religion of China, Daoism (Taoism), the study of which helps highlight certain characteristics of Chinese culture. Part IV concerns the introduction of Buddhism and Christianity into China. The two papers on the introduction of Buddhism attempt to describe the impact and dynamics of the introduction of a foreign culture. The Attempt of Matteo Ricci to Link Chinese and Western Culture concerns the introduction of Western culture into China. As China is still facing problematic tensions between foreign and traditional cultures these
studies of the introduction of Buddhism and Christianity into China may hold special interest. The Appendices are outlines of talks at the University of Oregon.
In sum, all my research is aimed at exploring the problem of cultural development at a time when traditional Chinese culture is moving towards modernization.