Confucianism and Modernisation

Wei-Bin Zhang offers an authoritative guide to the philosophy of Confucianism and its impact in the Confucian regions, covering mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Vietnam and Singapore. All, except Singapore, employed Confucianism as the state ideology before the West came to East Asia. The differences and similarities between the variety of Confucian schools are examined. The author concludes that the philosophical and ethical principles of Confucianism will assist in the industrialization and democratization of the region.

Autorentext

WEI-BIN ZHANG, born in 1961 in mainland China. He is Associate Professor of Economics at the Swedish Institute for Futures Study, Stockholm. His main research fields are East Asian economic development, Chinese philosophy, non-linear theory, non-linear economic dynamics, trade theory, urban and regional economics, and ethics. He has published more than 100 academic articles. His books include Economic Dynamics, Synergetic Economics, Knowledge and Value-Economic Structures with Time and Space, and Japan versus China in the Industrial Race. He was brought up and received his university education in mainland China. He studied at Kyoto University in Japan for four years. He has done research in Sweden since 1987.

Inhalt
Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction PART I: CONFUCIUS AND HIS DOCTRINES The Master: the Historical Conditions and His Life Free Will, Benevolence and the Vision Knowledge and Action Social Organizations and Government Wealth and Profit PART II: THE DYNAMICS OF CONFUCIANISM Mencius (371-289 B.C.): The Nature of Man is Good Husün Tzu (298-238 B.C.): Human Nature is Evil Chu Hsi (1130-1200): Chinese Rationalism and the Great Synthesis Wang Yang-min (1472-1529): Chinese Idealism PART III: MODERNIZATION OF THE CONFUCIAN REGIONS Industrialization of the Confucian Regions Democracy and Confucianism Bibliography Index