An introduction to contemporary scholarship in Confucian moral and political philosophy. After an overview of foundational ideas from the Confucian canon, we shift to contemporary work that draws on the Confucian tradition. Students will develop an understanding of how Confucian ideas are applied to contemporary moral and political concerns. Questions explored from a Confucian perspective include: What are the moral virtues? How should we understand the notion of human dignity? Should we rethink the value of—or at least reform our approach to—democratic forms of governance?
(Writing Intensive, Social Structural and Institutional Hierarchies.)