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Ritual and the moral life
reclaiming the tradition
Abstract
In the twentieth century, in both China and the West, ritual became marginalized in the face of the growth of secularism and individualism. In China, Confucianism and its essentially ritualistic comportment to the world were vigorously suppressed during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) under Mao Zedong. But de-ritualization already took place as a result of the Chinese Revolution of 1911 under Sun Yat-Sen. In the West, while the process of de-ritualization has been generally more gradual, it has been nonetheless drastic. In contrast to this situation, this volume investigates the crucial role ritual plays in constituting the human understanding of their place in the cosmos, the purpose of their lives, and imbues human existence with a more complete sense of meaningfulness. This volume presents the work of philosophers from both China and the West as they reflect upon the constitutive role that ritual plays in human life. They reflect not only on ritual in general but also on specific Confucian and Christian appreciations of ritual. This provocative volume is a beacon of warning to Western philosophers, who think they have graduated from the trappings of ritual, and a beacon of hope for Eastern thinkers, who wish to avoid cultural fragmentation. The Editors, both Eastern and Western, have together created a seamless work that not only introduces ritual, but advances an argument for the contribution that ritual makes to cultural renewal. This volume is a work of philosophical thinking about ritual doing, but challenges those who think to realize that the salvation of philosophical thinking rests in the particularity and contingency of ritual doing. Let us hope this volume is widely read, for it points to that which might renew the West. - Jeffrey P. Bishop, Saint Louis University - Jeffrey P. Bishop, Saint Louis University
Details | Table of Contents
an introduction
pp.1-14
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2756-4_1rites as bearers of meaning
pp.29-51
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2756-4_3pp.53-73
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2756-4_4meaning and recognition
pp.89-104
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2756-4_6pp.105-118
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2756-4_7a comparative analysis of zhu xi's family rituals
pp.119-141
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2756-4_8how and why?
pp.143-158
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2756-4_9pp.161-171
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2756-4_10pp.173-193
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2756-4_11a confucian conception of ritual
pp.195-205
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2756-4_12paternal authority, filial piety, and the ethos of self-submission in Christianity and confucianism
pp.237-291
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2756-4_14Publication details
Publisher: Springer
Place: Dordrecht
Year: 2012
Pages: 297
ISBN (hardback): 978-94-007-2755-7
ISBN (digital): 978-94-007-2756-4
Full citation:
Solomon David, Fan Ruiping, Lo Pingcheung (2012) Ritual and the moral life: reclaiming the tradition. Dordrecht, Springer.