Rhetorical Hermeneutics: A Structural Analysis of Confucian and Mencian Ethics

Author: Li Youzhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: Distinguishing benevolence studies from Confucianism can separate Confucius's thought from the two thousand years of Confucian political history in China. A direct benefit is that it allows traditional benevolence studies and modern "anti-feudal thought movements" to be compatible and consistent. On one hand, only benevolence studies, not the entirety of traditional Confucianism, can have the possibility of further participating in China's modernization and the global ethics dialogue. On the other hand, in today's world of constant religious disputes, only the non-religious ethics of benevolence studies can become a "neutral" basis for dialogue that all religious traditions can accept. This book contrasts benevolence studies with Confucianism, using the term "benevolence studies" specifically to refer to the ethics of Confucius and Mencius, distinguishing it from ancient Confucian textual studies and the Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming dynasties. Based on modern theoretical concepts, the book proposes entirely new interpretations of the structure, meaning, and function of benevolence studies, aiming to overcome the one-sided understanding of Confucius and Mencius studies that has existed historically, in order to more accurately reveal the texture of original benevolence studies and its historical and modern implications. With over 40 years of experience in researching Chinese and Western philosophy and modern Western theories, the author presents an ethical stance in this book that differs epistemologically from the following mainstream Western viewpoints: radical relativism, nihilism, metaphysics, and transcendental belief. The author believes that the experiential rationalism tradition of benevolence studies, after being interpreted through hermeneutics and semiotics methodologies, has the potential to become one of the universal ethical paradigms for modern humanity.