Humanism in East Asian Confucian Contexts

The past 60 years have seen the rediscovery of the immense cultural depth of Confucian humanist thought and its power to shape the way human beings are understood in East Asia. In this volume, renowned Confucian scholar Chun-chieh Huang analyzes various East Asian contexts to identify the central pillars of the Confucian humanist spirit: a continuum between mind and body, harmony between oneself and others, the unity of heaven and humanity, and a profound historical consciousness. Scholars of religion, history, philosophy and Asian studies will find this volume an indispensable guide to the rich tradition of East Asian Confucian humanism.

Chun-chieh Huang (Ph.D.) is Distinguished Professor of History and Dean of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences, National Taiwan University. He is also Research Fellow at Academia Sinica, Taipei. Prof. Huang has written many books on East Asian Confucianisms, especially on Mencius and Confucius. His recent works include Mencian Hermeneutics: A History of Interpretations in China (2001), New Perspectives in the History of East Asian Confucianisms (in Chinese, 2004), Taiwan in Transformation 1895-2005 (2006), and Tokugawa Japan’s Interpretation of the Analects (in Chinese, 2006).