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As Confucian thought wrestles with the push for modernization, and liberal democracy finds new cracks in its political consensus that undermine the communitarian ethos of solidarity, the need for the mutual understanding has never been more pressing. In Communitarianism, Confucianism and the Self , Andrew Hung offers a path to this concord by drawing out the similarities between the communitarianism of Charles Taylor and the Confucian teachings that still guide modern day China. The surprising number of similarities between the two philosophies is demonstrative of comparative philosophy''s potential to generative new paradigms of family, community, authenticity, morality, politics and the body. Building on communitarianism and confucianism''s shared account of how an individual''s consciousness exists in the wider world, this book demonstrates that whilst the challenges facing the East and West can seem particular and even mutually exacerbating, there is ample opportunity for productive philosophical dialogue between the two.
List of contents
Introduction
1. The Self and the Body
2. The Self, Authenticity and Morality
3. The Self, the Family and the Community
4. The Self and Politics I: Berlin, Taylor, and Mencius on Political Freedom
5. The Self and Politics II: Paternalism and Confucian Communitarian Familism
6. The Self and Transcendence
7. The Self, Hermeneutics and Cultural-Religious Dialogue
Conclusion
About the author
Andrew Tsz Wan Hung is a Lecturer of Western philosophy and Chinese culture in the Division of Social Sciences, Humanities and Design at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong. His research focuses on philosophy of Charles Taylor, Liberal-Communitarian Debate, Christian ethics, Confucianism, Western and Chinese philosophy.
