In the introduction chapter, the author tries to contextualize a new type of Confucianism call "Progressive Confucianism” which is the main issues of the book that the author references a lot of time. Angle does not focus on the question of whether Confucianism counts as "real philosophy”, in fact he underlines the fact that Confucianism today is not only a philosophy and it also has an international aspect and this is supported by the fact that he introduced a different nationality philosophers. He then offers a helpful categorization of contemporary Confucians based upon their methodologies, understandings of Confucianism as culturally specific or universal, intellectual resources and his goal is to suggest that Progressive Confucianism is
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Moreover, he repeatedly uses a key idea invented by Mou Zongsan, a twentieth century New Confucian. Mou’s idea is the “zi wo kan xian”, which Angle translates as "self-restriction." In Chapter 2, he explains this concept of self-restriction by Mou Zongsan and why he developed this …show more content…
But Confucians deny a sharp distinction between the private and the public, meaning that an individual's cultivation of full virtue is not merely this individual's personal matter, but a public and political one. One cannot become a sage alone, and the endless process of becoming a sage is only achieved if everyone in the world becomes a sage. For anyone to cultivate full and true virtue, there must be a public sphere that allows active moral agency. Morally superior persons should not impose their morals on others, meaning that they have to restrict themselves, in spite of their moral superiority (thus "self-restriction). The restriction is ultimately achieved through external political structures that guarantee rights to exercise moral agency. Through this reconstruction of Mou's arguments for self-restriction, Angle shows that a constitution, laws, and rights are not merely compatible with Confucianism but are required by it. “The core behind self-restriction is to provide an indirect connection between ethical and political values. Political values must be rooted in ethical values and yet independent from it; ethical values must be restricted within the political realm, yet ultimately served by this
Moreover, he repeatedly uses a key idea invented by Mou Zongsan, a twentieth century New Confucian. Mou’s idea is the “zi wo kan xian”, which Angle translates as "self-restriction." In Chapter 2, he explains this concept of self-restriction by Mou Zongsan and why he developed this …show more content…
But Confucians deny a sharp distinction between the private and the public, meaning that an individual's cultivation of full virtue is not merely this individual's personal matter, but a public and political one. One cannot become a sage alone, and the endless process of becoming a sage is only achieved if everyone in the world becomes a sage. For anyone to cultivate full and true virtue, there must be a public sphere that allows active moral agency. Morally superior persons should not impose their morals on others, meaning that they have to restrict themselves, in spite of their moral superiority (thus "self-restriction). The restriction is ultimately achieved through external political structures that guarantee rights to exercise moral agency. Through this reconstruction of Mou's arguments for self-restriction, Angle shows that a constitution, laws, and rights are not merely compatible with Confucianism but are required by it. “The core behind self-restriction is to provide an indirect connection between ethical and political values. Political values must be rooted in ethical values and yet independent from it; ethical values must be restricted within the political realm, yet ultimately served by this