Humanist Ethics of Li Zehou

Li Zehou (1930–2021) was one of China's most important and influential contemporary philosophers. His previous books include A History of Chinese Classical Thought and The Chinese Aesthetic Tradition. Robert A. Carleo III is Lecturer at East China Normal University. He is the coeditor, with Yong Huang, of Confucian Political Philosophy: Dialogues on the State of the Field and the translator of The Origins of Chinese Thought: From Shamanism to Ritual Regulations and Humaneness, also by Li Zehou.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: A Particular Sort of Rationalist Humanism Robert A. Carleo IIIOn EthicsFurther Comments on EthicsHistory, Ethics, and MetaphysicsAppendix: A Response to Michael Sandel and Other MattersNotesBibliographyIndex

"Imbued with Li Zehou's unique anthropo-historical approach and theory of sedimentation, these essays creatively integrate liberal principles and traditions with classical Confucian ethics to propose a new global ethics system. Robert A. Carleo III translates Li's most mature and culminant essays into unerringly precise and graceful English." — Jinhua Jia, University of Macau"This is another valuable addition to the growing field of Li Zehou studies. Li is a highly original thinker, who offers a nuanced extension of classical Confucian ideas by drawing on Western figures such as Kant and Marx. The book offers an inviting commentary on what modernity could mean for China, and even humanity as a shared concern. Carleo's translation is first-rate and offers numerous helpful notes and recommendations for further readings, thereby opening up the text to readers unfamiliar with Li's work." — Andrew Lambert, College of Staten Island, City University of New York