Early Confucian Philosophy of Agency

Henrique Schneider is associate of the Center for Chinese Studies in Switzerland and of the Geopolitical Information Services in Liechtenstein.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Conceptions of ConfucianismChapter 1: VirtuesChapter 2: RolesChapter 3: RitualsChapter 4: Human Nature, Self-Cultivation, and FlourishingChapter 5: Junzi: Self-interest and LeadershipConclusion: Confucianism as “Progressive” PhilosophyAppendix 1: Virtue, a Contested IdeaAppendix 2: Alternatives to VirtuesBibliographyAbout the Author

While not denying or ignoring their differences, Henrique Schneider argues that the philosophies of Kongzi, Mengzi, and Xunzi present a family resemblance promoting a synthetic philosophy centrally concerned with personal, social, and political agency. This conception of agency is analyzed in terms of virtues, roles, and rituals, linking agents with various types of conduct aimed at cultivating human nature and producing individual and collective flourishing. At the center of his account is a description of an ideal agent, the Junzi, “a self-interested, righteous, self-cultivating leader of familial, social, and political affairs” who not only represents a personal ideal but an inspiring, socially efficacious exemplar. This clear, concise, and original analysis of early Confucian thought will be appreciated by philosophers, political theorists, educators, social scientists, policy makers, and anyone interested in Chinese thought and culture.