The Intellectual Vitality of Eighteenth-Century Ritual Studies: Ritual Debates and the Re-emphasis on Ritual Hierarchy

Author: Zhang Shou'an
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: The revival of Confucian ritual studies in the Qing Dynasty became the main axis of Confucian thought in the 18th century and beyond. This book discusses 18th-century ritual thought, on one hand focusing on the differences between the ritual thought of Qing scholars and the concept of "Mingli" (the principle of reason) under the Song and Ming dynasties, including both principles and institutions, to observe the potential breakthroughs of 18th-century ritual thought within the context of pre-modern history. On the other hand, it pays attention to the questions raised by the 18th-century intellectual community regarding the patriarchal order and patriarchal concepts. These questions left significant open space, allowing for multiple possibilities for responses to become part of the transformation of old knowledge and the introduction of new knowledge.
The revival of Confucian ritual studies in the Qing Dynasty was not just a transformation of Neo-Confucianism for Confucian thought but also a transformation of ritual studies. Ritual studies became the main axis of Confucian thought from the 18th century onward, primarily because it revealed another form of Confucian thought: the order of the empirical world. This idea, which directly addresses the order of the empirical world, is both conceptual and formal, and in its development, it inevitably diverges from Neo-Confucianism. The dialogue between ritual and reason becomes an alternative clash in Confucian thought. This exploration of Confucian thought not only addresses the highly relevant issue of "ritual education" in academia but also presents the complex interactions of the three dimensions—ritual classics, ritual institutions, and ritual customs—in the historical timeline, thus opening a new chapter for the empirical aspects of human relationships and daily life in the history of Confucian thought.