John Dewey and Confucian Thought: Experiments in Intra-cultural Philosophy, Volume Two (SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture)

In this conclusion to his two-volume series, Jim Behuniak builds upon the groundbreaking work begun in John Dewey and Daoist Thought in arguing that "Chinese natural philosophy" is the proper hermeneutical context in which to understand early Confucianism. First, he traces Dewey's late-period "cultural turn" in more detail and then proceeds to assess Dewey's visit to China in 1919-21 as a multifaceted "intra-cultural" episode: one that includes not only what Dewey taught his Chinese audiences, but also what he learned in China and what we stand to learn from this encounter today. "Dewey in China" provides an opportunity to continue establishing " specific philosophical relationships" between Dewey and Confucian thought for the purpose of getting ourselves "back in gear" with contemporary thinking in the social and natural sciences. To this end, Behuniak critically assesses readings of early Chinese thought reliant on outdated Greek-medieval assumptions, paying particular attention to readings of early Confucianism that rely heavily on Western virtue ethics, such as the "Heaven's plan" reading. Topics covered include education, tradition, ethics, the family, human nature, and religiousness--thus engaging Dewey with themes generally associated with Confucian thought. "In this expansive and highly original two-volume work, Jim Behuniak reformulates John Dewey's late-period "Cultural turn" and proposes that its next logical step is an "intra-Cultural philosophy" that goes beyond what is commonly known as "comparative philosophy." Each volume models itself on this new approach and argues that early Chinese thought is poised to join forces with Dewey in meeting an urgent cultural need: namely, helping the Western tradition to correct its outdated Greek-medieval assumptions, especially where these result in pre-Darwinian inferences about the world. Relying on the latest findings in Chinese philosophy, these volumes establish "specific philosophical relationships" between Dewey's ideas and early Chinese thought for this purpose, showing how together they can assist us in getting our thinking "back in gear" with the world as it is currently known through the biological, physical, and cognitive sciences. Volume Two: Dao and Culture builds upon Volume One: Dao and Nature to argue that "Chinese natural philosophy" is the proper hermeneutical context in which to understand early Confucian thought. It engages Dewey with themes generally associated with "Confucianism," including education, tradition, ethics, the family, human nature, and religiousness. The volume assesses Dewey's visit to China (1919-1921) as a multi-faceted "intra-Cultural" episode: one that includes not only what Dewey taught his Chinese audiences, but also what he learned from China and what overseas Chinese students learned in the United States"-- Provided by publisher Contents List of Illustrations Interlude Dewey’s Chinese Dinners Part I 1. John Dewey and Intra-cultural Naturalism Dissolving the Blank Slate Humanism and Intra-cultural Philosophy Continuity and Common Sense Culture and the “Return Wave” Cultural Relations and Reconstruction 2. Education and Tradition Learning (xue 學) and Personhood Dewey Arrives in China Education and Its Reach Learning and Thinking The Dao 道 of Tradition 3. Custom and Reconstruction Breakthroughs in China Li 禮 and Custom Toward a “Social Philosophy,” Part One Custom and Reflection Ren 仁 and Human Association 4. Pluralism and Democracy Democracy vs. The Melting Pot Guojia 國家 and the “Great Community” Three Complimentary Studies Toward a “Social Philosophy,” Part Two Dewey Leaves China Part II 5. Roles and Exemplars The Analects as Virtue Ethics Exemplarism and the Denotative Method Role Ethics and Human Nature Hitting the Mark (zhong 中) Morality is Social 6. Humans and Nature Naturalizing Heaven Spiritualizing Nature Understanding Human Nature The Goodness (shan 善) of Human Nature Nature and Normality 7. Harmony and Growth Families and Human Nature The Norm of Harmony (he 和) The Meaning of Growth Family Experience and Non-Dualism Culture and Adaptation 8. Integration and Religiousness Integration (cheng 誠) and Adjustment Recovering the Forfeiture Ideals and the Actual Communion and the Human Spirit Returning to China Notes Works Cited Index