Confucianism in Context

A wide-ranging consideration of Confucianism for Western readers.

A wide-ranging consideration of Confucianism for Western readers.

What is Confucianism? This book provides a wide-ranging view of the tradition and its contemporary relevance for Western readers. Discussing the development of Confucianism in China, the work goes on to show the deep impact of Korean and Japanese cultures on Confucian thinking. A dialogic way of thought, highly sensitive to locations and conditions, Confucianism is shown to be a valuable philosophical resource for a multicultural, globalizing world. In addition to discussing Confucianism' unique responses to traditional philosophical problems, such as the nature of self and society, Confucianism in Context shows how Confucian philosophy can contribute to contemporary issues such as democracy, human rights, feminism, and ecology.

Wonsuk Chang is Senior Researcher at the Academy of Korean Studies in South Korea. Leah Kalmanson is a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.

"…the essays skillfully explore many of the challenges of modern Confucianism." — Religious Studies Review