The Chinese Classic of Family Reverence

Henry Rosemont; Roger T. Ames

Henry Rosemont and Roger T. Ames

The Chinese Classic of Family Reverence

A Philosophical Translation of the Xiaojing

University of Hawaii Press | 2008

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824864637

Overview
Contents

About this book

Few if any philosophical schools have championed family values as persistently as the early Confucians, and a great deal can be learned by attending to what they had to say on the subject. In the Confucian tradition, human morality and the personal realization it inspires are grounded in the cultivation of family feeling. One may even go so far as to say that, for China, family reverence was a necessary condition for developing any of the other human qualities of excellence. On the basis of the present translation of the Xiaojing (Classic of Family Reverence) and supplemental passages found in other early philosophical writings, Professors Rosemont and Ames articulate a specifically Confucian conception of "role ethics" that, in its emphasis on a relational conception of the person, is markedly different from most early and contemporary dominant Western moral theories. This Confucian role ethics takes as its inspiration the perceived necessity of family feeling as the entry point in the development of moral competence and as a guide to the religious life as well.

In the lengthy introduction, two senior scholars offer their perspective on the historical, philosophical, and religious dimensions of the Xiaojing. Together with this introduction, a lexicon of key terms presents a context for the Xiaojing and provides guidelines for interpreting the text historically in China as well as suggesting its contemporary significance for all societies. The inclusion of the Chinese text adds yet another dimension to this important study. The Chinese Classic of Family Reverence is sure to appeal to specialists of comparative and Chinese philosophy and to all readers interested in the enduring importance of the family.

Author information

RosemontHenry:

Henry Rosemont, Jr. is currently a visiting scholar in the Religious Studies Department at Brown University.AmesRoger T.:

Roger T. Ames is Distinguished Humanities Chair Professor at Peking University, a Berggruen Fellow, and former professor of philosophy at the University of Hawai‘i.Henry Rosemont (Author)
Henry Rosemont, Jr. is currently a visiting scholar in the Religious Studies Department at Brown University.

Roger T. Ames (Author)
Roger T. Ames is professor of philosophy at the University of Hawai‘i and editor of Philosophy East and West.

Frontmatter Free access PDF PDF	i
Contents Free access PDF PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Free access PDF PDF	ix
Translators’ Preface Free access PDF PDF	xi
Introduction Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	1
Classic of Family Reverence (Xiaojing) Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	105
Bibliography Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	119
Index Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	129

The Chinese Classic of Family Reverence

A Philosophical Translation of the Xiaojing

Details

Formats