In 1993, archaeologists unearthed a set of ancient bamboo scrolls that contained the earliest known version of the Dao de jing. Composed more than two thousand years ago, this life-changing document offers a regimen of self-cultivation to attain personal excellence and revitalize moral behavior. Now in this luminous new translation, renowned China scholars Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall bring the timeless wisdom of the Dao de jing into our contemporary world.In t...

The most widely read military classic in human history, newly translated and revised in accordance with newly discovered materials of unprecedented historical significance.Fluid, crisp and rigorously faithful to the original, this new text is destined to stand as the definitive version of this cornerstone work of Classical Chinese. Of compelling importance not only to students of Chinese history and literature, but to all readers interested in the art or the philos...

"To quietly persevere in storing up what is learned, to continue studying without respite, to instruct others without growing weary--is this not me?"--ConfuciusConfucius is recognized as China's first and greatest teacher, and his ideas have been the fertile soil in which the Chinese cultural tradition has flourished. Now, here is a translation of the recorded thoughts and deeds that best remember Confucius--informed for the first time by the manuscript version found at Ding...

The Westphalian model of international relations has given us a zero-sum game of winners and losers that has proven to be ineffective in addressing the pressing issues of our times. Philosopher Zhao Tingyang has argued that by conceptualizing international relations from the planetary perspective of tianxia, we can develop a sense of “worldness” that at once acknowledges the plurality of moral ideals defining of the world’s cultures and seeks practical ways to formulate a shared m...

In an era marked by geopolitical fragmentation and global crises, how can we envision a more stable and inclusive planetary order? This pioneering volume calls for a radical rethinking of international relations—moving beyond the Westphalian state system to embrace a civilizational dialogue rooted in shared histories, values, and mutual concern.The collection brings together leading scholars to explore the idea of tianxia (All under heaven) as a conceptual and moral framew...

Contrasts classical Greek ontology ("the science of being in itself") with Confucian "zoetology" ("the art of living").2025 CHOICE Outstanding Academic TitleIn Living Chinese Philosophy, Roger T. Ames uses comparative cultural hermeneutics as a method for contrasting classical Greek ontology ("the science of being in itself") with classical Chinese "zoetology" ("the art of living"), which ...

Over the past generation, the rise of East Asia and especially China has brought about a sea change in the economic and political world order. At the same time, global warming, environmental degradation, food and water shortages, population explosion, and income inequities have created a perfect storm that threatens the very survival of humanity. It is clear now that the Westphalian model of individual sovereign states seeking their own self-interest will not be able to respond effectively...

This volume brings into dialogue key texts from early and late Vedic, Early Buddhist, Confucian, and Bhakti traditions, each addressing fundamental questions concerning the aims and conditions of human life. Through a close engagement with these diverse yet philosophically rich traditions, the essays in this collection examine six interrelated questions central to the human quest for meaning, fulfillment, and ethical orientation.The first concerns the ends of human ...

Will democracy figure prominently in China's future? If so, what kind of democracy? In this insightful and thought-provoking book, David Hall and Roger Ames explore such questions and, in the course of answering them, look to the ideas of John Dewey and Confucius.Those most sanguine about the future of Chinese-Western relations presume that a modernized China will be essentially westernized as well. They believe that in order to enter the family of nations China must be transformed...

Tianxia—conventionally translated as “all-under-Heaven”—in everyday Chinese parlance simply means “the world.” But tianxia is also a geopolitical term found in canonical writings that has a deeper historical and philosophical significance. Although there are many understandings of tianxia in this literature*,* interpretations within the Chinese process cosmology generally begin with an ecological understanding of intra-national relations that acknowledge the mutu...

In the second edition of this groundbreaking text in non-Western philosophy, fifteen experts introduce some of the great philosophical traditions in the world. The dozen essays collected here unveil exciting, sophisticated philosophical traditions that are too often neglected in the western world. The contributors include the leading scholars in their fields, but they write for students coming to these concepts for the first time. Building on revisions and updates to the original essays on...

Applies a method of comparative cultural hermeneutics to let the tradition speak on its own terms.Roger T. Ames's A Sourcebook in Classical Confucian Philosophy is a companion volume to his Conceptual Lexicon for Classical Confucian Philosophy. It includes texts in the original classical Chinese along with their translations, allowing experts and novices alike to make whatever comparisons they choose. In applying a method of comparative cultural h...