The article was published in the prestigious Australian philosophical journal Philosophy Compass. It offers an overview and a critical evaluation of the Modern Confucian stream of thought, which has evolved on the threshold of the 20th century in China and which represents the central philosophical current of the so-called Modern Confucian intellectual movement. It forms the most influential and important stream of thought in contemporary East Asian theory and represents a crucial part of new prevailing ideologies in the P. R. China. It is defined by a search for synthesis between Western and traditional East Asian thought, aiming to elaborate a system of ideas and values, suitable to resolve social and political problems of the modern, globalized world. Thus, the article is not only focused upon the main Modern Confucian philosophical approaches, ideas and methods. It furthermore also illuminates the political, social and ideological backgrounds of the so called Confucian revival on the one hand, and its inherent connection to the ideological foundations of East Asian modernity on the other.
COBISS.SI-ID: 58175330
The paper explores the development of Confucian thought in Japan, showing that Confucianism wih its key concept of the Way remained the the foundation of Japanese intellectual circles while witnessing numerous transformations and reinterpretations. The new nation state built by the Meiji revolutionaries thus in its content became a mixture of various intellectual currents. The Meiji state was a modern, industrial and technologically advanced state indenitfying itself with the imperial system and native shinto tradition while being institutionally held together by a firm Confucian ideology. The paper reveals the processes of establishing modern national consciousness through reinterpretation of apparent traditions, the process applicable also to the creation of Slovene nation.
COBISS.SI-ID: 59286882
The article deals with the aesthetic theory of the Modern Confucian philosopher Xu Fuguan and focuses on his comparison between Kongzi’s and Zhuangzi’s understandings of the concept you illustrates significant differences in their perspective of the realization of the human spirit and its relation to art. Zhuangzi's understands it as a state of liberated and free human spirit that is exempt of all individual desires, intentions, goals and utilitarian attitudes. Such spirit is in total unity with Dao and is therefore able to comprehend the world aesthetically, intuitively and creatively. In Zhuangzi's philosophy you as a state of unity with Dao in everyday life and in everything a person is engaged in, is the highest state of human spirit. Therefore Xu Fuguan recognized Zhuangzi as the one who truly lived the aesthetic life. On the other hand, Kongzi's you represents engagement in art with respect to relaxation and contemplation of human emotions as well as a deeper understanding of the human nature in the context of self – cultivation. Besides, when Kongzi talks about »wandering in arts«, he expresses a value of art in human life regarding the unity of beauty and goodness, which is directly connected to Confucian values. Therefore, Kongzi's you in relation to art as such unity, provides the conditions for a more profound understanding of the process of realization of moral subjectivity as the highest goal in Kongzi's philosophy. What Xu tried to point out is that although Western modernism and postmodernism were striving for the liberalization of the individual’s spirit, Zhuangzi’s philosophy, his aesthetic view of life and creativity provided a far more profound and sophisticated background for such freedom. However, in relation to art as one of the fundamental pillars of society, he considered Confucian shanmei 善美 (the good as the beautiful) to be more beneficial for the establishment of a harmonious society. At that time, his efforts to offer this insight to the young Taiwanese artists and intellectuals, had failed. However, now it is becoming the subject of growing interest not only among Chinese and Taiwanese artists and scholars, but also among Western sinologist.
COBISS.SI-ID: 59156066