ABSTRACT

In the pre-Qin period, Confucius proposed, as against despotism, that a ruler should cultivate his virtue to attract foreigners and bring peace to relations with neighboring states; thereafter Confucians developed a view of the “kingly Way for all under Heaven.” This political ideal implies a humanitarian and benevolent manner of conducting cultural exchanges which would eventually lead to political unity. This ideal is significant and needs a creative contemporary interpretation. Nowadays, unilateralism in international politics is represented by the United States of America, especially American politics since George W. Bush took power. American unilateralism shows a tendency of very narrow nationalism that prioritizes the interests of America only, and it threatens the peace of the world. The ideal of peace in the American ideal of liberalism has been trampled upon in an unprecedented manner. How can mankind draw on each nation’s cultural traditions to develop ideas conducive to world peace? Such is a project for future scholars in the humanities and public intellectuals. This chapter deals with this topic from the perspective of comparative philosophy, starting from resources in Chinese philosophy to investigate the significance of the tradition of the Confucian political philosophy of the “kingly Way for all under Heaven” to contemporary world peace.