Mencius : : Contexts and Interpretations / / ed. by Alan K. L. Chan.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter UHP eBook Package 2000-2013
• MitwirkendeR: Ames, Roger T.,; Bloom, Irene,; Brooks, A. Taeko,; Brooks, E. Bruce,; Chan, Alan K. L.,; Chen, Ning,; Chong, Kim-Chong,; Cua, Antonio S.,; Eno, Robert,; Heng, Jiuan,; Munro, Donald J.,; Nivison, David,; Shun, Kwong-Loi,; Tan, Sor-Hoon,
• HerausgeberIn: Chan, Alan K. L.,
• Place / Publishing House: Honolulu : : University of Hawaii Press, , [2002]; ©2002
• Year of Publication: 2002
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (336 p.)

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.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. The Ideological Background of the Mencian Discussion of Human Nature -- 2. A Matter of Taste: Qi (Vital Energy) and the Tending of the Heart (Xin) in Mencius 2A2 ALAN K. L. CHAN -- 3. Mencius and a Process Notion of Human Nature -- 4. Biology and Culture in the Mencian View of Human Nature -- 5. Mengzi and Gaozi on Nei and Wai -- 6. Xin and Moral Failure: Notes on an Aspect of Mencius' Moral Psychology -- 7. Understanding Words and Knowing Men -- 8. Between Family and State: Relational Tensions in Confucian Ethics -- 9. Casuistry and Character in the Mencius -- 10. Mencius, Xunzi, and Dai Zhen -- 11. The Nature and Historical Context of the Mencius -- 12. Mengzi as Philosopher of History -- 13. Mencius and an Ethics of the New Century -- Contributors -- Index