About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherSTATE University of New York Press

ISBN-100791458903

ISBN-139780791458907

eBay Product ID (ePID)2331619

Product Key Features

Number of Pages266 Pages

Publication NameConfucian Democracy : a Deweyan Reconstruction

LanguageEnglish

SubjectMovements / Pragmatism, Eastern, Political, Confucianism

Publication Year2004

TypeTextbook

Subject AreaReligion, Philosophy

AuthorSor-Hoon Tan

SeriesSuny Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture Ser.

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height1 in

Item Weight13.2 Oz

Item Length9 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceScholarly & Professional

LCCN2003-068666

Reviews"...this book is well written and persuasively argued." -- Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy "Globalization is now a buzzword that may well be dying the slow death of a lack of meaning brought on by overuse. In Confucian Democracy ... Sor-hoon Tan offers a brilliant essay in comparative philosophy that single-handedly restores depth, nuance, and importance to this still key concept. She does so through a meticulous engagement with the best of scholarship on Confucius and Dewey, and in the process she also uncovers new layers of significance in the works of these two giants of thought. All in all her book is a remarkable achievement and one that will prove invaluable as the meaning of 'global philosophy' evolves over the coming decades." -- Philosophy East & West "...Tan's Deweyan reconstruction of Confucianism proves to be a very fruitful and stimulating dialogue between East and West. Her definition of Confucian democracy, the similarities and differences she identifies from Confucianism and Deweyan pragmatism, and the ways she suggests for reconstructing Confucianism are significant contributions to the comparative study of Confucian and Deweyan philosophies, and they have 'practical cash value' for the reconstruction of current Asian societies." -- Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society "Extremely well-written and clear, this is an exemplary illustration of modern comparative philosophy. The whole question of whether or not there can be something we call a 'Confucian Democracy' is an extremely lively academic and political issue these days. Tan does an excellent job defining democracy and Confucianism with a balanced discussion between Dewey and various classical Chinese thinkers." -- John Berthrong, author of All Under Heaven: Transforming Paradigms in Confucian-Christian Dialogue "Tan's remarkable interweaving of Confucius and Dewey has both the practical cash value Dewey would insist upon and the carefully wrought authoritative texture Confucius would expect. She has written a wonderfully insightful and stimulating book." -- George Allan, author of The Patterns of the Present: Interpreting the Authority of Form

Dewey Edition22

Grade FromCollege Graduate Student

IllustratedYes

Dewey Decimal321.8/01

Table Of ContentAcknowledgments 1. Confucian Democracy? Divining the Future Whose Confucianism? Which Democracy? Liberals and Communitarians Dewey and Confucius 2. Social Individuals Liberal Self and Autonomy Unique Rather Than Autonomous Individuals Dewey's Social Self-in-the-Making Constructing a Confucian Conception of Self Tension between Distinctness and Connectedness Choice in the Liberal-Communitarian Debate Dewey On Willing and Choosing Confucian Choice: Learning and Thinking Confucian Personal Commitment Individuality and Organic Sociality 3. Harmonious Communities Society and Community Nonexclusionary Community The Art of Community: Achieving Harmony Achieving Harmony through Confucian Ritual Practice The Science of Community: Cooperative Inquiry Equality and Differentiated Orders Equality in Human Relations 4. Ethico-Political Orders The Political Domains of Procedural Republics Ethico-Political Ends Dewey on Politics in Ancient China The Sage-King: An Ideal in Question Exemplary Persons: Ethico-Political Ends-in-View People As Basis ( minben ) The Role of the People in Tianming Are People Good Enough for Self-Government? Faith in People 5. Authoritative Freedom Negative and Positive Freedoms Freedom As Growth Confucian Positive Freedom Right to Speak and Right Speech Rights or Rites? Authoritative versus Authoritarian Coercion and Authority in Imperfect Situations 6. Cultivating Democracy Reconstructing Confucianism and Democracy Democracy and the Realpolitik of Stability Notes References Index

SynopsisThrough a detailed study of relevant concepts and theories in Confucianism and John Dewey's pragmatist philosophy, this book illustrates the possibility of Confucian democracy and offers an alternative to Western liberal models. Sor-hoon Tan synthesizes the two philosophies through a comparative examination of individuals and community, democratic ideals of equality and freedom, and the nature of ethical and political order. By constructing a model of Confucian democracy that combines the strengths of both Confucianism and Deweyan pragmatism, this book explores how a premodern tradition could be put in dialogue with contemporary political and philosophical theories., Using both Confucian texts and the work of American pragmatist John Dewey, this book offers a distinctly Confucian model of democracy., Using both Confucian texts and the work of American pragmatist John Dewey, this book offers a distinctly Confucian model of democracy. Through a detailed study of relevant concepts and theories in Confucianism and John Dewey's pragmatist philosophy, this book illustrates the possibility of Confucian democracy and offers an alternative to Western liberal models. Sor-hoon Tan synthesizes the two philosophies through a comparative examination of individuals and community, democratic ideals of equality and freedom, and the nature of ethical and political order. By constructing a model of Confucian democracy that combines the strengths of both Confucianism and Deweyan pragmatism, this book explores how a premodern tradition could be put in dialogue with contemporary political and philosophical theories.

LC Classification NumberJC423