Customer Reviews

All Under Heaven: Transforming Paradigms in Confucian-Christian Dial (Suny Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture)

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What I liked best about this book is that it indirectly explained why Tu Wei-ming wrote a book on the "Doctrine of the Mean" instead of "The Great Learning." According to Berthrong, Mou Tsung-san, Tu's teacher, down-played "The Great Learning." This was apparently because Mou had a philosophical disagreement with Chu Hsi. This makes me want to better understand Chu Hsi's connection to "The Great Learning." I know Chu Hsi picked "The Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of the Mean" as 2 of the 4 books, but what did Chu Hsi say about the Great Learning that bothered Mou Tsung-san so much? This was the best part of the book for me.

On the negative side, there is nothing practical in the book. It is largely a theological book. If you are interested in a practiacal view of Confucianism, I recommend a book by Robert Canright: "Achieve Lasting Happiness, Timeless Secrets to Transform Your Life." This is the only book I know of that shows the average person how to benefit personally from the lessons of Confucius.

The appendix to Berthrong's book, "Trends in the Interpretation of Confucian Religiosity," is very good. He surveys 4 books by Wm. Theodore de Bary and 2 by Tu Wei-ming. His treatment is very thoughtful and informative.

Chapter one has a confusing element. Berthrong introduces four of what he calls "transforming encounters:" (1) feminism, (2) social justice, (3) ecology, and (4) religious pluralism. You think these are the "transforming paradigms" mentioned in the book's subtitle and you expect to see them explored as the book proceeds. No. The introduction to these 4 topics is the last you hear of them.

Berthrong mentions Charles Hartshorne's "dual transcendence" very frequently, but never defines or explains it. He must assume his readers are intimately familiar with Hartshorne. I had to resort to Google to investigate "dual transcendence."

Berthrong mentions Whitehead often and says that he believe in process theology, but I did not see a tight fit to Hartshorne's theories.

Overall, Berthrong is an intelligent and knowledgable writer and I would call this a stimulating dialog although it is not a great book. Even though books are in the realm of ideas and words, they have form and can be architected and designed. The architecture of this book is a hodge-podge of topics that interest Berthrong. This book needed more editing at the design level.

I did enjoy the book in spite of its flaws.