Neither Morality Nor Law: Ritual Propriety As Confucian Civility,
Stephen C. Angle
2010
Wesleyan University
Neither Morality Nor Law: Ritual Propriety As Confucian Civility, Stephen C. Angle
Stephen C. Angle
It is common for recent authors on the topic of “civility” to spend some time sketching
the history of their subject.1 One narrative goes like this: civility emerges in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and is part of a larger trend toward disciplining bodily appetites that enables a new kind of cooperation among individuals. Civility interweaves politeness and political respect; it undergirds modern notions of republicanism, civil society, and the public good. In more recent decades—some writers point to World War I as a turning point, but for others, it is the 1960s—civility has declined or at least changed …
Neither Morality Nor Law: Ritual Propriety As Confucian Civility,
Stephen C. Angle
2010
Wesleyan University
Neither Morality Nor Law: Ritual Propriety As Confucian Civility, Stephen C. Angle
Stephen C. Angle
It is common for recent authors on the topic of “civility” to spend some time sketching
the history of their subject.1 One narrative goes like this: civility emerges in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and is part of a larger trend toward disciplining bodily appetites that enables a new kind of cooperation among individuals. Civility interweaves politeness and political respect; it undergirds modern notions of republicanism, civil society, and the public good. In more recent decades—some writers point to World War I as a turning point, but for others, it is the 1960s—civility has declined or at least changed …
Our Country Right Or Wrong: A Pragmatic Response To Anti-Democratic Cultural Nationalism In China,
Sor-hoon TAN
2010
Singapore Management University
Our Country Right Or Wrong: A Pragmatic Response To Anti-Democratic Cultural Nationalism In China, Sor-Hoon Tan
Research Collection School of Social Sciences
Since Deng Xiaoping came into power, China has been described as pragmatic in its approach to politics and development, and in the nineties there has been a revival of interest in Chinese cultural tradition. What is the relation between these two phenomena? Do they coexist, separately in mutual indifference, or in tension? Has there been constructive engagement, or at the very least does the potential for such engagement exist? More specifically, what roles, if any, do they play in China's quest for democracy? Does Dewey's pragmatism have any relevance to China in the twenty-first century? The issue of cultural tradition …
Translating And Interpreting The Mengzi: Virtue, Obligation, And Discretion,
Stephen C. Angle
2010
Wesleyan University
Translating And Interpreting The Mengzi: Virtue, Obligation, And Discretion, Stephen C. Angle
Stephen C. Angle
The essay focuses on two aspects of the translation and interpretation of Mengzi in Bryan Van Norden’s new translation. First, I argue that Van Norden’s explanation of virtues in terms of obligations is potentially problematic, and show instances in which this unusual understanding of virtue influences the translation itself. Second, I highlight the ways in which Van Norden’s translation and commentary have effectively thematized the role of “discretion (quan 權)” in Mengzi’s text, and make some suggestions for how we can arrive at an even deeper understanding of this important concept.
Review Of Ruiping Fan- Reconstructionist Confucianism,
Stephen C. Angle
2009
Wesleyan University
Review Of Ruiping Fan- Reconstructionist Confucianism, Stephen C. Angle
Stephen C. Angle
Reconstructionist Confucianism is fascinating, provocative, and in several ways novel. It is the first English-language, full-length effort to re-articulate Confucianism so that it speaks to the specific ethical challenges of the contemporary world. Fan’s background as a bioethicist enables him to enter deeply into a series of moral and political issues. Furthermore, FAN’s methodology is distinctive and his conclusions are quite at odds with much that has been written about contemporary Confucianism. As such, the book deserves broad attention: readers with a wide range of backgrounds and research agendas will find stimulating arguments to engage them. Having found …
Wang Yangming As Virtue Ethicist,
Stephen C. Angle
2009
Wesleyan University
Wang Yangming As Virtue Ethicist, Stephen C. Angle
Stephen C. Angle
Three ideas are implicit in the title of this chapter. To begin with, it is constructive to view
WANG Yangming 王陽明 (1472-1529), widely acknowledged as the most influential Confucian
thinker of the Ming dynasty, as a virtue ethicist. Second, because Wang has much in common with many other Neo-Confucian philosophers, the Neo-Confucian approach to ethics quite generally can be fruitfully understood as a type of virtue ethics. If this is true, then a third idea also follows, namely that Western virtue ethicists should pay attention to Wang and to Neo- Confucian philosophy, because here is a new (to the …
Rethinking Confucian Authority And Rejecting Confucian Authoritarianism,
Stephen C. Angle
2009
Wesleyan University
Rethinking Confucian Authority And Rejecting Confucian Authoritarianism, Stephen C. Angle
Stephen C. Angle
Early Confucianism saw "Tian" 天 or Heaven as the source of authority, as kings ruled in accord with its "mandate." The clearest communication of Tian's intentions comes through the actions of the "people" (min 民), whose well beingthus forms the bedrock of Confucian politics. The essay begins by rehearsing the strengths and the limitations of such a framework, as well as pointing to a tnesion concerning the status of "the people" that runs throughout traditional Confucianism. Next, I analyze Kang Xiaoguang's 康小光 contemporary Chinese effort to justify an authoritarian state by means of an only modestly revised version of …
Rethinking Confucian Authority And Rejecting Confucian Authoritarianism,
Stephen C. Angle
2009
Wesleyan University
Rethinking Confucian Authority And Rejecting Confucian Authoritarianism, Stephen C. Angle
Stephen C. Angle
Early Confucianism saw "Tian" 天 or Heaven as the source of authority, as kings ruled in accord with its "mandate." The clearest communication of Tian's intentions comes through the actions of the "people" (min 民), whose well beingthus forms the bedrock of Confucian politics. The essay begins by rehearsing the strengths and the limitations of such a framework, as well as pointing to a tnesion concerning the status of "the people" that runs throughout traditional Confucianism. Next, I analyze Kang Xiaoguang's 康小光 contemporary Chinese effort to justify an authoritarian state by means of an only modestly revised version of …
Wang Yangming As Virtue Ethicist,
Stephen C. Angle
2009
Wesleyan University
Wang Yangming As Virtue Ethicist, Stephen C. Angle
Stephen C. Angle
Three ideas are implicit in the title of this chapter. To begin with, it is constructive to view
WANG Yangming 王陽明 (1472-1529), widely acknowledged as the most influential Confucian
thinker of the Ming dynasty, as a virtue ethicist. Second, because Wang has much in common with many other Neo-Confucian philosophers, the Neo-Confucian approach to ethics quite generally can be fruitfully understood as a type of virtue ethics. If this is true, then a third idea also follows, namely that Western virtue ethicists should pay attention to Wang and to Neo- Confucian philosophy, because here is a new (to the …
