Confucian Propriety and Ritual Learning: A Philosophical Interpretation(SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture)

A reconsideration of the Confucian concept li (ritual or ritual propriety), one that references Western philosophers as well as the Chinese context. Honorable Mention, 2018 Outstanding Book Award presented by the Society of Professors of Education Geir Sigurðsson offers a reconsideration of li, often translated as "ritual" or "ritual propriety," one of the most controversial concepts in Confucian philosophy. Strong associations with the Zhou period during which Confucius lived have put this concept at odds with modernity's emphasis on progressive rationality and liberation from the yoke of tradition. Sigurðsson notes how the Confucian perspective on learning provides a more balanced understanding of li. He goes on to discuss the limitations of the critique of tradition and of rationality's claim to authority, referencing several Western sources, notably Hans-Georg Gadamer, John Dewey, and Pierre Bourdieu. An exposition of the ancient Chinese worldview of time and continuous change further points to the inevitability of li's adaptable and flexible nature. Sigurðsson argues that Confucius and his immediate followers did not endorse a program of returning to the Zhou tradition, but rather of reviving the spirit of Zhou culture, involving active and personalized participation in tradition's sustention and evolution.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Introduction Interpretive Viewpoints and Prejudgments Subjective Objectivity and Hermeneutic Productivity of Cultural Distance Chinese Culture, Ritual Propriety, and the Importance of Learning The Modern Opprobrium of Ritual and the Confucian Tradition 1. First Assemblage: Tradition and Timeliness From Aversion to Rehabilitation: The Modern Discourse on Tradition Tradition as Dao : The Early Confucian Approach to Tradition The Temporal Sequence of Practice and the Chinese Notion of Time Hitting the Mark: Zhong , Shizhong , and Zhongyong 2. Second Assemblage: From Reason to Intelligence Education and/or Indoctrination: A Borderless Distinction Reason I: Max Weber's Paradox Reason II: The Quest for Reason in China Reason III: Reasonable Alternatives Reason IV: The Interplay of Li , Yi , and Li 3. Third Assemblage: Education as Humanization Education through Experience: Reconciling Tradition and Reason Aesthetic Consciousness and Ritual Knowledge Internalization and Efficacy: Li , Yue , De , and Ren Education as Exhortation and Personal Cultivation Concluding Remarks Notes Literature Cited Index

About the Author :
Geir Sigurdsson is Associate Professor of Chinese Studies at the University of Iceland.

Review :
"...I highly recommend this book to those who already have a deep understanding of early Chinese intellectual history and who do not shy away from new methodological approaches to and perspectives on early Confucianism." - Daniel Sungbin Sou, Religious Studies Review