Confucianism for the Modern World [Paperback]

Daniel A. Bell (Editor), Hahm Chaibong (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521527880 | ISBN-13: 978-0521527880 | Publication Date: September 8, 2003

While Confucian ideals continue to inspire thinkers and political actors, discussions of Confucian practices and institutions appropriate for the modern era have been conspicuously absent. This volume discloses in meticulous detail the relevance of Confucianism to the contemporary world. Contributions by internationally renowned philosophers, lawyers, historians, and social scientists argue for feasible and desirable Confucian policies and institutions, as they draw out the political, economic, and legal implications of Confucianism for the modern world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Confucian core values humanity, sympathy, reciprocity, civility, responsibility, public-spiritedness, and communality provide the inspiration for this rich, subtle and thoughtful intellectual joint venture to offer a persuasive alternative to Western modernism. As a powerful critique of the Enlightenment mentality defined in terms of aggressive anthropocentrism, instrumental rationality and possessive individualism, this cutting-edge scholarly exploration of Confucian practical and institutional resources for democracy is an original and significant contribution to contemporary reflection on the human condition." Tu Weiming, Harvard University

"Confucianism has been declared dead and resurrected repeatedly--but rarely with sufficient attention to its concrete relevance for modern life. Here finally is a volume, written by the finest minds in the field, exploring the implications of Confucian 'affective communities' for modern politics (democracy), economics (capitalism), and the rue of law. The book will be warmly welcomed both by friends of Asian culture and by modern democrats seeking to find remedies for the ills of egocentrism and political and economic exploitation." Fred Dallmayr, University of Notre Dame

"The Confucian Analects instruct us that a teacher is one who can 'warm up the old so as to understand the new.' As interpreted by the contributors to Confucianism for the Modern World, this dictum does not mean to simply re-heat old platitudes, but to look with fresh eyes on the past and on the present, finding there inspiration for Confucian-style institutions and values that can contribute to a better future, both in East Asia and beyond. Ranging from democracy and education to social welfare and family law, the collection's scope, combined with the uniformly high quality of its challenging contents, mark Confucianism for the Modern World as an important milestone in world conversations about culture and institutions for the twenty-first century." Stephen Angle, Wesleyan University

"This is a fascinating set of essays for anyone interested in modern East Asian society."
John Berthrong, The Journal for Asian Studies

Book Description

While Confucian ideals continue to inspire thinkers and political actors, discussions of concrete Confucian practices and institutions appropriate for the modern era have been conspicuously absent from the literature thus far. This volume represents the most cutting edge effort to spell out in meticulous detail the relevance of Confucianism for the contemporary world. The contributors to this book--internationally renowned philosophers, lawyers, historians, and social scientists--argue for feasible and desirable Confucian policies and institutions as they attempt to draw out the political, economic, and legal implications of Confucianism for the modern world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 398 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (September 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521527880
• ISBN-13: 978-0521527880
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,230,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars CONFUCIAN RELEVANCE, May 24, 2005

By 

Thomas Riggins (NY, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Confucianism for the Modern World (Paperback)

Daniel A. Bell and Hahm Chaibong have edited this book to answer the question-- is Confucianism a dead tradition or is it meaningful for the contemporary world. The editors think it is a living tradition and so do I but for different reasons. The core of Confucianism is its humanism. Daniel Bell, one of the editors, assumes that "some form of capitalism is here to stay for the foreseeable future and any realistic defense of economic arrangements in East Asia needs to take this fact into account." Since I am not interested in using Confucian philosophy in order to make a "defense of economic relations in East Asia" but rather to follow the logic of its humanistic values, and also holding that capitalism and humanism are incompatable, I cannot agree that this book-- slanted as it is to use Confuciansm to back up gobalization processes dominated by the West, represents a truely relevant use of this philsophy in the modern world.