Review
Bell has produced a tour de force of great depth . . .[A] solid philosophical work, respectful but tough minded, that illuminates East Asian political perspectives and forces Americans to reexamine their own assumptions. -- Lucian W. Pye, Foreign Affairs
Daniel Bell has produced a book that is as creative and intriguing as it is scholarly and substantial. He has created three dramatic, engaging, philosophically penetrating dialogues illuminating the 'Asian Values' debate. . . . These dialogues are accessible and even entertaining, but they are also thoroughly researched and tightly argued. -- Steven Wrage, Millenium
Bell's East Asian interlocutors express some of the bewilderment felt by the recipients of America's moral advice, and the offer a robust critique. . . . American advocates of human rights tend to argue from principle: East Asians from how things currently are on the ground. -- Alex de Waal, London Review of Books
Bell criticizes 'West-centric perspectives,' which assume that every society aspires to the ideal of becoming a Western-style liberal democracy. [This is an] extremely rich new book. -- Jerry Burke, Philosophy East & West
Review
Daniel Bell gets to the hard philosophical and empirical questions that hide behind the often corrupt political rhetoric about cultural difference and human rights. This fine book explores the major issues about the universality of human rights and democracy with great sensitivity, nuance, and rigor. It is full of new and interesting insights, ideas, and arguments. (Charles Taylor )
