For a Kinder, Gentler Society
The American Civilization and Ancient Confucianism
  • Wei-Bin Zhang
Reviews Table of Contents Introduction «Back
The American Civilization and Ancient Confucianism.
Sound Bite
Perhaps this is the old theory of "convergence" seen in a new light. Zhang, the first Chinese professor to recieve the honor of an appointment at Japan's Ritsumeikan Asia-Pacific University. A lifelong student of the classics of Asian culture, yet a modern man with an avid eye for what is new and Western-inspired, he takes a serious look at the underpinnings of some very different societies to see whether they are not, in fact, largely built on the same pillars.

About the Author

Wei-Bin Zhang is a Chinese-born professor of economics at Japan's prestigious Ritsumeikan Asia-Pacific University. He was a visiting scholar at universities in Sweden and Australia for 12 years, and frequently visits the US, Singapore and other countries.

Prof. Zhang is the author of over a dozen published books in English on topics including economic growth and development in the Asia-Pacific region. His more recent titles include The Butterfly Effect in China’s Economic Growth - From Socialist Penury towards Marx’s Progressive Capitalism, The Rise and Fall of China’s Last Dynasty: The Deepening of the Chinese Servility and New China’s Long March from Servility to Freedom.

Given his education as a technical economist, his broad knowledge of classical Chinese thought, and his experience in the West, Zhang is deeply intrigued by the ways in which ancient Oriental thought appears to surface amidst the most Occidental of social phenomena.

About the Book
Scholars have analyzed Chinese society in the light of contemporary Western social and natural sciences for centuries. This compact volume turns the tables, and opens tantalizing new perspectives on the American...
Scholars have analyzed Chinese society in the light of contemporary Western social and natural sciences for centuries. This compact volume turns the tables, and opens tantalizing new perspectives on the American civilization by examining it through the lens of ancient Confucianism. The current work invites Americans to step through the looking glass - backwards, this time - and view ourselves from a Confucian perspective. In his analysis, Zhang draws together references to the I Ching, Leibniz, Tocqueville, Lipset and Aristotle, a judicious few statistics such as crime rate and economic growth, and the lions of Chinese philosophy. Chapter 1. The American Civilization and Ancient Confucianism in Open Society Chapter 2. "All Men Are Created Equal" Versus All Men Are Born Equal Chapter 3. Democracy and Law Chapter 4. Education and Knowledge Chapter 5. Economic Freedom and Development Chapter 6. The American Universalism and Rational Civilizations in the Future

Pages 228
Year: 2002
LC Classification: E183.8.C5 Z44
Dewey code: 973'.07'2051'21
BISAC: REL018000
BISAC: PHI003000
Paper
ISBN: 978-0-87586-162-3
Price: USD 21.95
Hard Cover
ISBN: 978-0-87586-163-0
Price: USD 28.95
Ebook
ISBN: 978-0-87586-173-9
Price: USD 28.95
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