Self-realization through Confucian learning : a contemporary reconstruction of Xunzi’s ethics

Description

"Self-realization through Confucian Learning reconstructs Confucian thinker Xunzi's moral philosophy in response to the modern focus on self-realization. Xunzi (born around 310 BCE) claims that human xing ("nature" or "native conditions") is without an ethical framework and has a tendency to dominate, leading to bad judgments and bad behavior. Confucian ritual propriety (li) is needed to transform these human native conditions. Through li, people become self-directing: in control of feelings and desires and in command of their own lives."--Page 4 of cover.  Read more... Machine generated contents note: ch. 1 Xing and Native Conditions -- Xunzi's definitions of xing -- "People's xing is bad" -- Natural desires and moral neutrality -- Goodness and human agency -- ch. 2 Wei and Human Agency -- Definitions of wei -- From xing to wei -- Human agency: Actions and happenings -- Xunzi's worldview -- ch. 3 Xing, Wei, and the Origin of Ritual Propriety -- Creation of ritual propriety from wei -- People's xing at the two stages of wei -- Ritual propriety and the satisfaction of desires -- The heart-mind's approval and second-order evaluation -- Desires and their form of expression -- ch. 4 Ritual Propriety and the Good Life -- The self and the good -- The petty man and the noble man -- Understanding the Way -- Community and the self -- Ritual propriety as self-interpretation -- Conclusion.