Review of Dao Companion to Contemporary Confucian Philosophy

Abstract

Elstein, D. (ed.) (2021) Dao Companion to Contemporary Confucian Philosophy. Cham: Springer International Publishing. The book under review is entitled Dao Companion to Contemporary Confucian Philosophy It brings together the most prominent scholars from around the world to provide a sound overview of contemporary Confucianism. Dao is one of the most influential scientific journals specializing in Chinese and comparative philosophy, and Dao Companions is the series known for providing comprehensive introductions of various aspects Chinese philosophy. The entire series opens with the phrase «While philosophy is a Western term, philosophy is not something exclusively Western». Though it is Western culture which coined the term philosophy , other cultures cannot be seen as deprived from the ability to philosophize. One of the central philosophical skills is to change the optics from one point of view to another, from one language system to another to see the blinds spots. And looking at Confucianism through the lens of Western philosophical paradigms has always been key to self-identification of contemporary Confucians. The authors of the volume do not intend to return to the original Confucianism in order to rebalance the historical asymmetry between the treatment of Chinese and Western philosophy. As editor David Elstein puts it, the prevailing use of Western philosophical vocabulary while speaking about Confucianism is not something to be corrected, but to be in accord with the latest developments in philosophical sciences. If it is primary to put Confucians to use in philosophical dialogue, the problems of text exegesis are to be put aside. The ambition to be constantly engaged in philosophical dialogue is another crucial characteristic of contemporary Confucian philosophy and culture, which draws the attention of the authors. Confucianism needs to be talked about all around the world in order to remain a «lively tradition». If being talked about requires being interpreted in Western terms, or serving as a basis of Chinese economic miracle, or working out a scientific methodology, Confucianism is ready to pay that price. Interestingly more than a half of the articles in the Dao Companion are written by non-Chinese authors, and they happen to be the biggest opponents of imposing Western meaning on Confucian texts. This means that the work done by Chinese thinkers in the XX th century did not lead to the oblivion of original Confucianism, but rather to its revival in Western philosophical community. The publication of Dao Companion to Contemporary Confucian Philosophy is sure to contribute to building amiable intercultural communication and developing scientifically correct comparative philosophy. It is also a new word in a comprehensive examination of contemporary Confucianism, which is free of all stereotypes.