The Concept of Man in Contemporary China

Part of a trilogy exploring how ideas about human nature have shaped practices of social control and education over the course of Chinese history, this volume explores how the most striking political theories and policies of the contemporary period rest on distinctly Chinese theories of mind. Many of these contrast dramatically with long-held Western beliefs, key among them the insistence on the commingling of rational thought, the emotions, and motives. Focusing on the Maoist period (1940s through 1976), Munro reveals convergences between Confucian and Maoist theories of mind, and considers their application in both education and the practice of modern government.Donald J. Munro is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Chinese, University of Michigan. His work and career were recently profiled in Xifang Hanxuejia lun Zhongguo (Western sinologists on China), a review of seven key Western contributors to the study of Chinese culture and history.