Lunli and Confucian Moral Theory

This book interprets the concepts, philosophies and cultural traditions of lunli (roughly construed as "e;relationships and rationality"e;) from the perspective and domain of 'dialogue civilization.' On the conceptual level, it expounds the common reference and different tenets of the Chinese lunli and the Western "e;ethic"e;, exploring the characteristics of lunli and "e;ethic"e; in civilization history, considering notably the difference between unification of family and state and division of the two at the embryonic stage of civilization. The book draws on the lunli-oriented culture and religion-based culture to demonstrate the difference between Chinese lunli and Western "e;ethic"e; in their respective top design and ultimate care, by exploring the issue "e;What the world would be like, if there were no lunli"e; for the Chinese and "e;What the world would be like, if there were no God"e; for westerners. Since lunli is the most prominent feature of "e;being Chinese"e;, or the most symbolic and interpretative Chinese cultural concept, this pivot provides a key introduction for Western readers not only to the concept itself, but also to modern day Chinese culture.