This volume centers on the premise of “beyond comparison” – not rejecting cross-cultural engagement, but moving past superficial “East–West” juxtaposition to pursue constructive philosophical creation. It focuses on four “exemplars of Ru” (Henry Rosemont Jr., Lǐ Zéhòu 李泽厚, Yáng Guóróng 杨国荣, Roger T. Ames) as “philosophical practitioners” who integrate classical Confucian insights with Western traditions to develop frameworks transcending cultural dichotomies. Part I examines Rosemont's critique of Western individualism and his argument that personhood is constituted by social roles/relational responsibilities (an “onion self”). The chapters link his Confucian role ethics to non-Western traditions (Aztec, Zulu ubuntu) and clarify his target as “foundational individualism.” Part II focuses on Lǐ's key claims: “harmony is higher than justice” and the “conversion of the empirical into the transcendental.” Lǐ is framed as an “anti-philosopher” rejecting abstract speculation for everyday life, while his engagement with Kant is noted as incompatible yet productively sublative. Part III explores Yáng's “concrete metaphysics,” emphasizing that moral selfhood is intersubjectively constituted and contrasting his Confucian account of social reality with Western institutional theories. Part IV highlights Ames's “strategic-pragmatic Confucianism,” which reinterprets classical Confucian concepts via American pragmatism to address contemporary issues, with critical engagement on his take on gendered roles. The volume's strengths include transcending cultural dichotomies (e.g., linking Rosemont to global relational ethics), prioritizing practical philosophy over textual exegesis (applying Confucian ideas to alienation or injustice), and adopting a dialogical, interdisciplinary structure (contributors critique and extend exemplars' ideas). Weakness lies mainly in limited accessibility for non-specialists. In conclusion, this is an indispensable text for Confucian studies and global ethics, demonstrating that impactful philosophy is rooted in shared human experience (relationality, history, harmony) rather than cultural labels.
Qin Feng (Mon,) studied this question.