Confucian Role Ethics

A Vocabulary

Roger T. Ames

• Publisher: The Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Year: 2011
• eBook ISBN: 9789629964511

In this landmark work, noted comparative philosopher Roger T. Ames interprets how the classics of the Confucian canon portray the authentic, ethical human being. He argues that many distinguished commentators on Confucian ethics have explained the fundamental ideas and terms of this distinctively Chinese philosophy by superimposing Western concepts and categories, effectively collapsing this rich tradition into a subcategory of "virtue ethics." Beginning by addressing the problem of responsible cultural comparisons, Ames then formulates the interpretive context necessary to locate the texts within their own cultural ambiance. Exploring the relational notion of "person" that grounds Confucian philosophy, he pursues a nuanced understanding of the cluster of terms through which Confucian role ethics is expressed. Drawing on Western and Chinese sources, Ames provides a convincing argument that the only way to understand the Confucian vision of the consummate life is to take the tradition on its own terms.

Table of contents

• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Section I. Introduction: “Appreciating”Confucianism
• Section II. An Interpretive Context for Understanding Confucianism
• Section III. The Confucian Project: Attaining Relational Virtuosity
• Section IV. Confucian Role Ethics
• Section V: Confucian Human-Centered Religiousness
• Epilogue: The Limits of Confucian Role Ethics
• Notes
• Bibliography of Works Cited
• Index