Neo-Confucianism - by Jeeloo Liu (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Solidly grounded in Chinese primary sources, Neo Confucianism: Metaphysics, Mind, and Morality engages the latest global scholarship to provide an innovative, rigorous, and clear articulation of neo-Confucianism and its application to Western philosophy.

• Contextualizes neo-Confucianism for contemporary analytic philosophy by engaging with today's philosophical questions and debates
• Based on the most recent and influential scholarship on neo-Confucianism, and supported by primary texts in Chinese and cross-cultural secondary literature
• Presents a cohesive analysis of neo-Confucianism by investigating the metaphysical foundations of neo-Confucian perspectives on the relationship between human nature, human mind, and morality
• Offers innovative interpretations of neo-Confucian terminology and examines the ideas of eight major philosophers, from Zhou Dunyi and Cheng-Zhu to Zhang Zai and Wang Fuzhi
• Approaches neo-Confucian concepts in an penetrating yet accessible way

From the Back Cover

"JeeLoo Liu is a gifted philosopher and an elegant writer. This book is a splendid introduction to Neo-Confucian ideas about the metaphysics of morality and related issues. The personalities are presented vividly and the ideas explained thoroughly. Liu succeeds in her goal of showing analytical philosophers how to engage with the richness of Chinese philosophy."
--John Perry, Stanford University

"Philosophically sophisticated and beautifully written, this book is especially needed in the study of Chinese philosophy. It presents Chinese philosophy as philosophy, not just as Chinese ideas. JeeLoo Liu brings together neo-Confucian thought and the latest ideas in analytic philosophy with meticulous care. Written with philosophical rigor, extensive scholarship, and crisp exposition, the book is accessible to undergraduates, and provides them with diverse resources for further reading and investigation. An elegant introduction to neo-Confucianism."
--Kam Por Yu, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Neo-Confucianism: Metaphysics, Mind, and Morality engages the latest global scholarship to offer an articulate and penetrating analysis of Chinese philosophy in the Song-Ming era from the eleventh to seventeenth centuries and its application to Western philosophy. Chapters contextualize neo-Confucianism for contemporary analytic philosophy through a rigorous, cross-cultural approach to today's most fundamental philosophical questions and debates. Divided into three parts, the volume outlines the metaphysical foundations of neo-Confucian moral philosophy and examines the relationship between human nature, human mind, and morality. Grounded in textual evidence from Chinese primary sources, the book incorporates a wealth of additional research from both Chinese and English secondary literature, and examines the ideas of eight major neo-Confucian philosophers, from Zhou Dunyi and Cheng-Zhu to Zhang Zai and Wang Fuzhi.

An accessible yet authoritative narrative by an esteemed scholar of Chinese philosophy, Neo-Confucianism: Metaphysics, Mind, and Morality presents an incisive and philosophically-engaging treatment of neo-Confucian thought and its relevance to the contemporary world.

Review Quotes

"This book is clearly one of the greatest accomplishments among English Neo-Confucian philosophical studies in recent decades. JeeLoo Liu uses clear language and rigorous philosophical reasoning to analyze eight pivotal Neo-Confucian figures regarding three major areas: metaphysics, moral theory and moral practice. The book can be aptly used as both an introduction to Neo-Confucianism for beginners and a top reference for researchers, which is itself a rare achievement."
Reviewed by Bin Song, Washington College
Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, March 2019

About the Author

JeeLoo Liu is Professor of Philosophy at California State University, Fullerton. She is the author of An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy: From Ancient Philosophy to Chinese Buddhism (Wiley-Blackwell 2006), co-editor of Consciousness and the Self (2012), and co-editor of Nothingness in Asian Philosophy (2014). She is currently the Executive Director of the International Society for Chinese Philosophy.