Thinking Through Confucius (SUNY Series in Systematic Philosophy) by David L. Hall (PDF)

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What I like most about this work is two-fold: the rigor and novelty of its methodological conception and the cogency and inciveness of its execution. — Lik Kuen Tong”This is a daring book. It develops an unconventional interpretation of Confucius, one which the authors claim is truer to the traditional texts than anything ever written in English (including Wiley and Fingarette). The authors build their case from a close reading of the key Chinese terms of Confucian texts. This painstakingly detailed analysis is always readable, never too technical for a reader who knows no Chinese, but convincing by its thoroughness and its sensitivity.” — George AllanThinking through Confucius critically interprets the conceptual structure underlying Confucius’ philosophical reflections. It also investigates “thinking,” or “philosophy” from the perspective of Confucius. Perhaps the philosophical question of our time is “what is philosophy”. The authors suggest that an examination of the Chinese philosophy may provide an alternative definition of philosophy that can be used to address some of the pressing issues of the Western cultural tradition. This book finds an appropriate language for the interpretation of traditional Chinese philosophical thought — a language which is relatively free from the bias and presuppositions of Western philosophy.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “What I like most about this work is two-fold: the rigor and novelty of its methodological conception and the cogency and inciveness of its execution.” ― Lik Kuen Tong“This is a daring book. It develops an unconventional interpretation of Confucius, one which the authors claim is truer to the traditional texts than anything ever written in English (including Wiley and Fingarette). The authors build their case from a close reading of the key Chinese terms of Confucian texts. This painstakingly detailed analysis is always readable, never too technical for a reader who knows no Chinese, but convincing by its thoroughness and its sensitivity.” ― George Allan About the Author David L. Hall is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas, and author of The Civilization of Experience: A WhiteheadianTheory of Culture; The Uncertain Phoenix: Adventures Toward a Post-Cultural Sensibility; and Eros and Irony: A Prelude to Philosophical Anarchism.Roger T. Ames, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hawaii, is author of The Art of Rulership: A Study of Ancient Chinese Political Thought, a translator of classical Chinese texts, and assistant editor of Philosophy East and West.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I read this book and couldn’t understand a damn thing they are talking about. I’m sorry to say, I got nothing from it. I read the whole thing and by the end, I still had no idea what Ames and Hall are trying to say.Not sure if the book pushed the limits of my reading comprehension or if it was just a lot of literary bells and whistles passing for some kind of deep analysis. Either way, if you plan to read this book, you ought to have a good english dictionary on hand as you’ll likely be referring to it often. A Ph.D in philosophy may also help, as this book is definately not for general audiences. Best of luck to ya if you do make a purchase . . . I’d be happy to hear anyone’s translation of the book into more straightforward language.

⭐In 1987, before I took my Asian religions class at Eureka College, Marcus Ford suggested I read Thinking through Confucius. It was in many ways a powerful intellectual awakening for me and it presented Confucius as an authoritative person who could create value through ritual. There are numerous philological and philosophical debates that punctuate this work, but for me at the time, it illuminated a way of approaching philosophy from an immanent pole of reflection as opposed to the transcendent perspective offered by Plato. It was very engaging and complimented the works of Whitehead, Dewey, and James of which my professor was so fond.The book was an effort to build a bridge between Anglo-American philosophy and the Confucian tradition of thought. The authors expressed an appropriate amount of skepticism about the likelihood that they would be successful in this endeavor, but their effort and rigor set the foundation for some interesting cultural exchanges if there would be any takers. Twenty years later I would have the privilege to study under Roger Ames at a National Endowment for the Humanities workshop on China. He had written several more books and his earlier concept of authoritative personhood had evolved into the concept of the consummate person. He and Henry Rosemont (David Hall had recently passed) had begun an endeavor to explore role ethics with the Chinese tradition as an inspiration for their efforts. I should note Roger embodied many of the Confucian virtues he had written about and he was an exemplary host and teacher.The journey through Thinking through Confucius was valuable to me, and I think others who are interested in Chinese and Western philosophy will find it to be similarly rewarding. There is much that the attentive reader will be able to mine for academic reflection, and its surface will be engaging for a young philosophy student not yet entangled in the need to argue with every sentence.

⭐”He who possesses the supreme virtue of humanity is reluctant to speak.””The exemplary person does what he is going to say, and only then, says it.”………Take your pick !!

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