328 pp. February 2002
cloth, ISBN 978-0-8248-2377-1, $53.00
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Keywords: |
Asia
China
philosophy |
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Mencius: Contexts and Interpretations
ed. by Alan K. L. Chan
"This volume is most welcome, as it encapsulates the wide variety of contemporary analytical perspectives on the Mengzi (Mencius) text and its place in the Confucian tradition and Warring States thought generally.... It should be required reading for anyone who wishes to introduce herself to the state of the field in Mencian studies." --Journal of Asian Studies, May 2003"Readers will learn much from and be edified by this fine anthology for many years to come." --Journal of Chinese Religions 31 (2003) "The quality of the essays in this volume is quite good.... [Yet] it is time now for the attention of religious studies--attention that has been lavished on Daoism and Buddhism--to be turned toward early Confucianism." --Religious Studies Review 30 (2004)
For two thousand years the Mencius was revered as one of the foundational texts of the Confucian canon, which formed the basis of traditional Chinese education. Today it commands considerable attention in current debates on "Asian values" raging in classrooms and boardrooms in both East Asia and the West. This volume, which represents the work of fifteen respected scholars of early Chinese thought and culture, is an especially timely effort to bring the Mencius under fresh scrutiny. Making use of recently excavated manuscripts, the contributors approach the Mencius from novel perspectives, challenge established interpretations, and confront anew issues that continue to attract and divide students of this classic text. The famous Mencian doctrine of the "goodness" of human nature forms one main focus. Questions of context and interpretation bring into sharp relief key hermeneutical issues that surround the text. Does the Mencius present a coherent and systematically developed ethical teaching? Or should it be read as a composite work, comprising different layers of material that reflect different emphases and conflicting doctrines? Traversing contested territories and exploring new avenues of understanding, the essays presented here do not aim at settling debates; on the contrary, they afford ample opportunities for further discussion on the background, interpretation, and continued relevance of this classic of Confucian philosophy. Contributors: Roger T. Ames, Irene Bloom, A. Taeko Brooks, E. Bruce Brooks, Alan K. L. Chan, Kim-Chong Chong, Antonio S. Cua, Robert Eno, Jiuan Heng, Donald J. Munro, Ning Chen, David Nivison, Kwong-Loi Shun, Sor-Hoon Tan.
Alan K. L. Chan is vice-dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and associate professor, Department of Philosophy, National University of Singapore.
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