ABSTRACT

Confucian Reflections: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times is about the early Chinese Confucian classic the "Analects" Lunyu, attributed to the founder of the Confucian tradition, Kongzi (551-479 bce) and who is more commonly referred to as "Confucius" in the West. Philip J. Ivanhoe argues that the Analects is as relevant and important today as it has proven to be over the course of its more than 2000 year history, not only for the people who live in East Asian societies but for all human beings. The fact that this text has inspired so many talented people for so long, across a range of complex, creative, rich, and fascinating cultures offers a strong prima facie reason for thinking that the insights the Analects contains are not bound by either the particular time or cultural context in which the text took shape.

chapter 1|16 pages

Being in and Learning from Tradition

chapter 2|14 pages

Conceptions of Self, Society, and World

chapter 3|14 pages

Social Practices Great and Small

chapter 4|14 pages

Music in and of Our Lives

chapter 5|13 pages

The Values of Families

chapter 7|3 pages

Conclusion