Theorizing Confucian Virtue Politics : The Political Philosophy of Mencius and Xunzi

Surprisingly Little Is Known About What Ancient Confucian Thinkers Struggled With In Their Own Social And Political Contexts And How These Struggles Contributed To The Establishment And Further Development Of Classical Confucian Political Theory. Leading Scholar Of Comparative Political Theory, Sungmoon Kim Offers A Systematic Philosophical Account Of The Political Theories Of Mencius And Xunzi, Investigating Both Their Agreements And Disagreements As The Champions Of The Confucian Way Against The Backdrop Of The Prevailing Realpolitik Of The Late Warring States Period. Together, They Contributed To The Formation Of Confucian Virtue Politics, In Which Concerns About Political Order And Stability And Concerns About Moral Character And Moral Enhancement Are Deeply Intertwined. By Presenting Their Political Philosophies In Terms Of Constitutionalism, Kim Shows How They Each Developed The Ability To Authorize The Ruler's Legitimate Use Of Power In Domestic And Interstate Politics In Ways Consistent With Their Distinctive Accounts Of Human Nature. Sungmoon Kim. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover Half-title Title page Copyright information Dedication Table of Contents Preface Conventions Introduction The Paradigm of Confucian Virtue Politics Two Aims Conceptual Frameworks Negative and Positive Confucianism Virtue and Ritual Constitutionalism Moral and Civic Virtue Strong and Tempered Virtue Monism Outline of the Book Part I Confucian Constitutionalism 1 Interest, Morality, and Positive Confucianism Mencius on Interest: Beyond Negative Confucianism Morality and Interest Extending Private Interest to Public Interest Xunzi’s Vision of Positive Confucianism The Problem of Compliance The Regulation of Interest The Prudential Foundation of Positive Confucianism Conclusion 2 Virtue, Ritual, and Constitutionalism The Issue Mencius’s Defense of Abdication and Virtue Constitutionalism The Trouble with Abdication Moral Virtue as Power Xunzi’s Rejection of the Abdication Doctrine and Ritual Constitutionalism Against the First Abdication Legend Against the Second Abdication Legend Against the Third Abdication Legend Right to Rebellion? Conclusion 3 Before and after Ritual: Moral Virtue and Civic Virtue Mencius on Ritual Propriety as Moral Virtue The First Description of the State of Nature The Second Description of the State of Nature Xunzi on Ritual Propriety as Civic Virtue The Rise of Ritual Institutions The Principle of Civility Conclusion Part II Wang, Ba, and Interstate Relations 4 The Psychology of Negative Confucianism From Moral Heroism to Political Liberty: De Bary Revisited The Higher Man and the Will to Power The Psychological Origin of Realpolitik Between Badao and Tyranny Between Sage-King and Tyrant Inventing Confucian Political Liberty: Toward Negative Confucianism Conclusion 5 Hegemonic Rule: Between Good and Evil Mencius on Badao: Between Theory and Practice Duke Huan of Qi and His Virtue The Moral Principle of Badao Achieving Decent Morality in Domestic and Interstate Governance Tempered Virtue Monism Conclusion 6 Responsibility for All under Heaven New Interstate Moral Hierarchy Extended Responsibility From Heaven to People The Interstate Politics of Virtue Conclusion Conclusion: Between Old and New Bibliography Index "Surprisingly little is known about what ancient Confucian thinkers struggled with in their own social and political contexts and how these struggles contributed to the establishment and further development of classical Confucian political theory. Leading scholar of comparative political theory, Sungmoon Kim offers a systematic philosophical account of the political theories of Mencius and Xunzi, investigating both their agreements and disagreements as the champions of the Confucian Way against the backdrop of the prevailing realpolitik of the late Warring States period. Together, they contributed to the formation of Confucian virtue politics, in which concerns about political order and stability and concerns about moral character and moral enhancement are deeply intertwined. By presenting their political philosophies in terms of constitutionalism, Kim shows how they each developed the ability to authorize the ruler's legitimate use of power in domestic and interstate politics in ways consistent with their distinctive accounts of human nature."--Résumé de l'éditeur Ancient Chinese philosophers Mencius and Xunzi were key figures in the development of Confucian political and constitutional theory and in particular of virtue politics. Leading scholar Sungmoon Kim analyses the differences and agreements between them in the context of the politics of the late Warring States period.