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For much of the twentieth century, Confucianism was condemned by Westerners and East Asians alike as antithetical to modernity. Internationally renowned philosophers, historians, and social scientists argue otherwise in Confucian Political Ethics. They show how classical Confucian theory--with its emphasis on family ties, self-improvement, education, and the social good--is highly relevant to the most pressing dilemmas confronting us today.


Drawing upon in-depth, cross-cultural dialogues, the contributors delve into the relationship of Confucian political ethics to contemporary social issues, exploring Confucian perspectives on civil society, government, territorial boundaries and boundaries of the human body and body politic, and ethical pluralism. They examine how Confucianism, often dismissed as backwardly patriarchal, can in fact find common ground with a range of contemporary feminist values and need not hinder gender equality. And they show how Confucian theories about war and peace were formulated in a context not so different from today's international system, and how they can help us achieve a more peaceful global community. This thought-provoking volume affirms the enduring relevance of Confucian moral and political thinking, and will stimulate important debate among policymakers, researchers, and students of politics, philosophy, applied ethics, and East Asian studies.


The contributors are Daniel A. Bell, Joseph Chan, Sin Yee Chan, Chenyang Li, Richard Madsen, Ni Lexiong, Peter Nosco, Michael Nylan, Henry Rosemont, Jr., and Lee H. Yearley.

Table of Contents

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  1. Cover
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  1. Title Page, Copyright
  2. pp. i-v
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  1. CONTENTS
  2. pp. vii-viii
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  1. PREFACE
  2. Daniel A. Bell
  3. pp. ix-xiv
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  1. PART ONE: STATE AND CIVIL SOCIETY
  1. CHAPTER ONE: Confucian Conceptions of Civil Society
  2. Richard Madsen
  3. pp. 3-19
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  1. CHAPTER TWO: Confucian Perspectives on Civil Society and Government
  2. Peter Nosco
  3. pp. 20-45
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  1. CHAPTER THREE: Civil Society, Government, and Confucianism: A Commentary
  2. Henry Rosemont, Jr.
  3. pp. 46-57
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  1. PART TWO: BOUNDARIES AND JUSTICE
  1. CHAPTER FOUR: Territorial Boundaries and Confucianism
  2. Joseph Chan
  3. pp. 61-84
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  1. CHAPTER FIVE: Boundaries of the Body and Body Politic in Early Confucian Thought
  2. Michael Nylan
  3. pp. 85-110
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  1. PART THREE: ETHICAL PLURALISM
  1. CHAPTER SIX: Confucian Attitudes toward Ethical Pluralism
  2. Joseph Chan
  3. pp. 113-138
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  1. CHAPTER SEVEN: Two Strands of Confucianism
  2. Lee H. Yearley
  3. pp. 139-143
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  1. PART FOUR: CONTEMPORARY FEMINISM
  1. CHAPTER EIGHT: Gender and Relationship Roles in the Analects and the Mencius
  2. Sin Yee Chan
  3. pp. 147-174
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  1. CHAPTER NINE: The Confucian Concept of Ren and the Feminist Ethics of Care: A Comparative Study
  2. Chenyang Li
  3. pp. 175-197
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  1. PART FIVE: WAR AND PEACE
  1. CHAPTER TEN: The Implications of Ancient Chinese Military Culture for World Peace
  2. Ni Lexiong
  3. pp. 201-225
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  1. CHAPTER ELEVEN: Just War and Confucianism: Implications for the Contemporary World
  2. Daniel A. Bell
  3. pp. 226-256
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  1. CONTRIBUTORS
  2. pp. 257-258
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  1. INDEX
  2. pp. 259-273
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