Ritual and Deference: Extending Chinese Philosophy in a Comparative Context (S U N Y Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture)

Ritual and Deference develops Robert Cummings Neville's thesis that contemporary philosophy has much to gain by shaping itself through important themes of the Chinese philosophical traditions, especially the themes of ritual and deference. Neville here offers a broad and detailed interpretation of the relevance of Confucianism and Daoism to contemporary issues. The discussion includes analyses of classical Confucian and Daoist texts, especially those of Xunzi and Laozi, and of the current scene of English-speaking philosophy advancing Chinese themes. The book also reflects on the nature of comparative philosophy as such, and the role that comparative philosophy has in the ongoing contemporary engagement with globalization, the clash of cultures, and scientific transformations of the worldviews of diverse civilizations. Neville stresses the importance of deferring to the integrity of cultures while still submitting them to normative analysis and criticism. RITUAL AND DEFERENCE......Page 2 Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 12 1. A Confucian Program......Page 18 METAPHYSICS......Page 19 PHILOSOPHICAL COSMOLOGY......Page 22 HUMAN NATURE......Page 24 SOCIAL THEORY......Page 27 VALUES FOR THE GOOD LIFE: CONVENTIONAL, YET NORMATIVE......Page 32 A CONFUCIAN SOLUTION: RITUAL......Page 35 HIGH CIVILIZATIONS:COMPETING VALUES AND GLOBAL RITUALS......Page 37 A HOMILY ON HUMANENESS......Page 40 INITIAL CONSIDERATIONS OF RITUAL IN XUNZI......Page 44 RITUAL AND SEMIOTICS......Page 47 RITUAL AND DESIRE......Page 50 RITUAL, INTEGRATION, AND RELIGION......Page 52 4. Daoist Relativism, Ethical Choice, and Normative Measure......Page 58 A METAPHYSICAL DAOISM......Page 60 NORMATIVE MEASURE......Page 65 DAOIST ETHICS......Page 68 DAOISM AND CONFUCIANISM COMPARED......Page 71 5. Chinese Influences in English-Speaking Philosophy......Page 76 SCHOLARLY INFLUENCES......Page 77 ROGER T. AMES AND DAVID L. HALL......Page 81 TU WEIMING AND CHENG CHUNGYING......Page 83 WU KUANGMING......Page 88 THE PROBLEM......Page 92 METHODOLOGY AS A CONCERN......Page 94 PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICES......Page 97 PHILOSOPHICAL DISCIPLINE......Page 102 7. Metaphysics for Contemporary Chinese Philosophy......Page 106 THE NEED FOR METAPHYSICS......Page 107 THEMES OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY......Page 109 METAPHYSICAL DIRECTIONS......Page 112 THE UNCONSCIOUS AS A PROBLEM FOR CONFUCIAN VIRTUE......Page 118 RITUAL AND HUMANENESS......Page 120 DECEPTIONS OF THE HEART: FREUD......Page 122 DECEPTIONS OF THE HEART: MARX......Page 126 9. The Contemporary Mutual Development of Confucianism and Christianity......Page 130 FROM REFORMATION OF THE INNER HEART TO LOVING THE WORLD......Page 131 THE LOCATION OF ETHICAL ANALYSIS AND RECTIFYING POWER......Page 133 PEACE, ACTION, AND RETREAT......Page 135 10. The Personal and the Impersonal in Conceptions of Divinity......Page 138 POPULAR VERSUS SOPHISTICATED RELIGION HYPOTHESIS......Page 139 DEVELOPMENT HYPOTHESIS: PRE-AXIAL AGE AND AXIAL AGE......Page 140 SEMIOTIC HYPOTHESIS......Page 141 ONTOLOGICAL-ANTHROPOLOGICAL CONTINUUM HYPOTHESIS......Page 142 MODELS OF COMPARATIVE THEOLOGY......Page 144 OBJECTIVIST COMPARISON......Page 150 NORMATIVE COMPARISON......Page 157 BEYOND COMPARATIVE TO INTEGRATIVE PHILOSOPHY......Page 159 THE HAPPY PORTABILITY OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY......Page 166 RITUAL, AGAIN......Page 170 ETHICS, AGAIN......Page 172 ORIENTATION AND THE SELF......Page 174 Notes......Page 180 A......Page 204 C......Page 205 D......Page 207 E......Page 208 G......Page 209 I......Page 210 L......Page 211 M......Page 212 P......Page 213 R......Page 215 S......Page 216 T......Page 217 W......Page 218 Z......Page 219 "Ritual and Deference develops Robert Cummings Neville's thesis that contemporary philosophy has much to gain by shaping itself through important themes of the Chinese philosophical traditions, especially the themes of ritual and deference. Neville here offers a broad and detailed interpretation of the relevance of Confucianism and Daoism to contemporary issues. The discussion includes analyses of classical Confucian and Daoist texts, especially those of Xunzi and Laozi, and of the current scene of English-speaking philosophy advancing Chinese themes. Neville stresses the importance of deferring to the integrity of cultures while still submitting them to normative analysis and criticism."--Jacket. Brings Confucianism And Daoism Into Conversation With Contemporary Philosophy And The Contemporary World Situation.