Xunzi and the Nature of Confucian Ritual

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Homer Dubs has asserted that “Xunzi's chief interest is philosophical and that there is little, if anything, that can be called religious in his writings” (Homer Dubs. 1966. Hsüntze: The Moulder of Ancient Confucianism. Taipei: Ch'eng‐Wen Publishing Co., xxi). To the contrary, I maintain that Xunzi's philosophy was deeply religious but that his religious sensibility was wholly this‐world centered. In making my case, I focus on the concept of li (ritual propriety). Specifically, I offer a characterization of Confucian li as a rich and layered concept, both grounded in tradition and yet open to change. And, while elaborating on various aspects of li, I challenge the view that, for Xunzi, the rituals of the sage kings were uniquely valid.