The Confucian Philosophy of Harmony

by Chenyang Li

Harmony is a concept essential to Confucianism and to the way of life of past and present people in East Asia. Integrating methods of textual exegesis, historical investigation, comparative analysis, and philosophical argumentation, this book presents a comprehensive treatment of the Confucian philosophy of harmony. The book traces the roots of the concept to antiquity, examines its subsequent development, and explicates its theoretical and practical significance for the contemporary world. It argues that, contrary to a common view in the West, Confucian harmony is not mere agreement but has to be achieved and maintained with creative tension. Under the influence of a Weberian reading of Confucianism as "adjustment" to a world with an underlying fixed cosmic order, Confucian harmony has been systematically misinterpreted in the West as presupposing an invariable grand scheme of things that pre-exists in the world to which humanity has to conform. The book shows that Confucian harmony is a dynamic, generative process, which seeks to balance and reconcile differences and conflicts through creativity. Illuminating one of the most important concepts in Chinese philosophy and intellectual history, this book is of interest to students of Chinese studies, history and philosophy in general and eastern philosophy in particular.

216 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2013

Reviews

[Ben Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive and convincing. One of the finest works of philosophy I have ever read. I could not put it down.

My interest in this book stemmed from a curiosity about Pythagorean notions of musical and metaphysical Harmony (my academic background is in Classics) and a growing personal dissatisfaction with my own understanding of the ideal of “peace” both in the internal sense of “inner peace” and the externalized hope for “peace on earth”.

I will be returning to this book in the future to further develop my understanding of Deep Harmony and look forward to reading Chenyang Li’s related works.

[L'Apprenti Confucéen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book that focuses on the most important social concept of Confucianism: harmony. This study gives a deep explanation of how harmony is understood for Confucian scholars.

[Niklas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good entry point