Skip to main content
  • Book
  • © 2016

Dao Companion to the Philosophy of Xunzi

Editors:

  • Offers a comprehensive analysis of the Confucian thinker Xunzi and his work
  • Presents a variety of disciplinary perspectives and offers divergent interpretations
  • Highlights the substantial impact the Xunzi has had on thinkers throughout history

Part of the book series: Dao Companions to Chinese Philosophy (DCCP, volume 7)

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (17 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxiii
  2. Xunzi on Self-Cultivation

    • Aaron Stalnaker
    Pages 35-65
  3. Ethics in the Xunzi

    • Eric L. Hutton
    Pages 67-93
  4. Xunzi’s Political Philosophy

    • Eirik Lang Harris
    Pages 95-138
  5. Xunzi’s Metaethics

    • David B. Wong
    Pages 139-164
  6. Xunzi on Moral Psychology

    • Eric L. Hutton
    Pages 201-227
  7. Xunzi as a Theorist and Defender of Ritual

    • Mark Berkson
    Pages 229-267
  8. Xunzi on Music

    • Eric L. Hutton, James Harold
    Pages 269-289
  9. Language and Logic in the Xunzi

    • Chris Fraser
    Pages 291-321
  10. Xunzi Contra Mozi

    • Hui-chieh Loy
    Pages 353-375
  11. What Did Xunzi Learn from the Daoists?

    • Paul Kjellberg
    Pages 377-394
  12. Xunzi Among the Chinese Neo-Confucians

    • Justin Tiwald
    Pages 435-473
  13. The Xunzi in Edo Japan

    • Hung-Yueh Lan
    Pages 475-501
  14. Xunzi and Pre-Modern Korean Thinkers

    • Jaesang Jung
    Pages 503-534
  15. Back Matter

    Pages 535-565

About this book

This volume presents a comprehensive analysis of the Confucian thinker Xunzi and his work, which shares the same name. It features a variety of disciplinary perspectives and offers divergent interpretations. The disagreements reveal that, as with any other classic, the Xunzi provides fertile ground for readers. It is a source from which they have drawn—and will continue to draw—different lessons.

In more than 15 essays, the contributors examine Xunzi’s views on topics such as human nature, ritual, music, ethics, and politics. They also look at his relations with other thinkers in early China and consider his influence in East Asian intellectual history.

A number of important Chinese scholars in the Song dynasty (960–1279 CE) sought to censor the Xunzi. They thought that it offered a heretical and impure version of Confuciansim. As a result, they directed study away from the Xunzi. This has diminished the popularity of the work.

However,the essays presented here help to change this situation. They open the text’s riches to Western students and scholars. The book also highlights the substantial impact the Xunzi has had on thinkers throughout history, even on those who were critical of it. Overall, readers will gain new insights and a deeper understanding of this important, but often neglected, thinker.

Reviews

“It is the first English-language anthology that examines a wide range of philosophical themes and issues in Xunzi’s thought. … This Companion is a significant contribution to Xunzi studies. It should be of interest to anyone who is interested in Xunzi’s thought, regardless of the stages of their research. … I have no doubt that this Companion will be a key reference and research book in Xunzi scholarship.” (Winnie Sung, Dao, Vol. 16, 2017)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Department of Philosophy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA

    Eric L. Hutton

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access