Cultivating a Good Life in Early Chinese and Ancient Greek Philosophy: Perspectives and Reverberations

Description

This book engages in cross-tradition scholarship, investigating the processes associated with cultivating or nurturing the self in order to live good lives. Both Ancient Chinese and Greek philosophers provide accounts of the life lived well: a Confucian junzi, a Daoist sage and a Greek phronimos. By focusing on the processes rather than the aims of cultivating a good life, an international team of scholars investigate how a person develops and practices a way of life especially in these two traditions. They look at what is involved in developing practical wisdom, exercising reason, cultivating equanimity and fostering reliability. Drawing on the insights of thinkers including Plato, Confucius, Han Fei and Marcus Aurelius, they examine themes of harmony, balance and beauty, highlight the different concerns of scepticism across both traditions, and discuss action as an indispensable method of learning and, indeed, as constitutive of self. The result is a valuable collection opening up new lines of inquiry in ethics, demonstrating the importance of philosophical ideas from across cultural traditions.

Karyn Lai is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the School of Humanities and Languages at the University of New South Wales, Australia. Rick Benitez is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sydney, Australia. Hyun Jin Kim is Senior Lecturer in Classics in the Discipline of Classics and Archaeology at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

The volume includes original and thought provoking essays by scholars who are both specialists and aficionados of ancient Greek and Chinese cross-cultural perspectives on the cultivation of a good life. The essays explore not only the basic positive ideals of what is to be cultivated, and putting the wisdom of a good life into practice, but also the inevitable cognitive and epistemic difficulties associated with such ideals. As such this volume contains a treasure trove of enlightenment for scholars, students and an educated public. * Gerard Naddaf, Professor of Philosophy, York University, Canada * Highly original, insightful, and enlightening, this volume brings together multifaceted cross-cultural studies of ancient Chinese and Greek views on cultivating a good life. The contributors investigate pertinent issues and articulate perspectives on developing practical wisdom, fostering ethical sensibilities, nurturing skills for acting appropriately, and learning the art of living well. Everyone who is interested in learning about Confucian, Daoist, and Greek views on these important matters should read this book. * Chenyang Li, Professor of Philosophy, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore * A remarkable volume that takes us beyond a simple comparative study of what classical Greek and Chinese thinkers have to say about what constitutes a good life into a rich discussion of how to actually cultivate a good life. Challenging the reader at every turn to engage with the question at the philosophical depth it deserves, this is a splendid volume, worthy of careful study. * Thomas M. Robinson, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Classics, University of Toronto, Canada * The premise of this stimulating collection of essays is that ancient philosophers both East and West can help us today to live better lives. In chapters that are scholarly yet accessible, the volume's authors range widely but consistently illuminate the practicality of ancient teachings. Recommended for anyone with an interest in the diverse ways that philosophy can be lived. * Stephen C. Angle, Mansfield Freeman Professor of East Asian Studies and Professor of Philosophy, Wesleyan University, U.S.A. *