Free Delivery Over $100
|
|
|||
|
||||
OverviewIt is widely claimed that notions of gods and religious beliefs are irrelevant or inconsequential to early Chinese (“Confucian”) moral and political thought. Rejecting the claim that religious practice plays a minimal philosophical role, Kelly James Clark and Justin Winslett offer a textual study that maps the religious terrain of early Chinese texts. They analyze the pantheon of extrahumans, from high gods to ancestor spirits, discussing their various representations, as well as examining conceptions of the afterlife and religious ritual. Demonstrating that religious beliefs in early China are both textually endorsed and ritually embodied, this book goes on to show how gods, ancestors and afterlife are philosophically salient. The summative chapter on the role of religious ritual in moral formation shows how religion forms a complex philosophical system capable of informing moral, social, and political conditions. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Kelly James Clark , Justin WinslettPublisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic ISBN: 9781350262171ISBN 10: 135026217 Pages: 232 Publication Date: 26 January 2023 Audience: Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: Manufactured on demand  We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier. Table of ContentsList of Tables Introduction Part I. High Gods and their Critics 1. Heaven and the High God(s) in Early China 2. Heaven in the Xunzi, Mozi and Zhuangzi 3. The Depersonalization of Heaven? Part II. Gods and “the Philosophers” 4. Was Confucius a Theist? 5. Mencius on Heaven Part III. Ancestors and Afterlife 6. The Soul and the Afterlife 7. Sacrifice Part IV. A Deeper Dive 8. The Evolutionary Psychology of Chinese Religion 9. Lesser Deities of the Pre-Imperial Era Appendix: The Curious Case of Dong Shongshu Notes Bibliography IndexReviewsThe authors of this work take readers on an illuminating journey through early Chinese religion rewriting the interpretive route they call the naturalizing narrative and correcting its four misleading landmarks: (1) The Chinese don't believe in God(s) or the afterlife; (2) Belief in the High God(s) and belief in the afterlife were common among peasants and in the Mozi, but not in the philosophical texts; 3) The Confucians don't believe in the High God(s) or the afterlife; and (4) The High God(s) and the afterlife are morally irrelevant to Confucian moral theory. * Ronnie Littlejohn, Chaney Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Belmont University, USA * Kelly James Clark and Justin Winslett take readers on an illuminating journey through early Chinese religion, rewriting the interpretive route they call 'the naturalizing narrative' and correcting its four misleading landmarks: (1) The Chinese don't believe in God(s) or the afterlife; (2) Belief in the High God(s) and belief in the afterlife were common among peasants and in the Mozi, but not in the philosophical texts; 3) The Confucians don't believe in the High God(s) or the afterlife; and (4) The High God(s) and the afterlife are morally irrelevant to Confucian moral theory. * Ronnie Littlejohn, Chaney Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Belmont University, USA * Author InformationKelly James Clark is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul. Justin Winslett is University Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Sheffield, UK. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
||||
