Classical Confucianism and Moral Sentimentalism

Contemporary virtue ethics had developed mainly in the Aristotelian tradition. Recently, however, a few non-Aristotelian forms of virtue ethics have emerged. Among them, the most radical departure from the ancient Greek tradition is found in Michael Slote s agent-based virtue ethics inspired by the eighteenth century British moral sentimentalism and the contemporary feminist ethics of care. In light of this new trend, the virtue ethicist Rosalind Hursthouse has anticipated that although the growing interest in ancient Chinese ethics currently tends to emphasize its common ground with the ancient Greek tradition, as it gains strength, it may well introduce a more radical departure. This work exemplifies the more radical departure she rightly predicates. In this groundbreaking book, the author argues that there are several key points of convergence between classical Confucian ethics and the ethics of empathic caring in the moral sentimentalist tradition. Scholars or any one who is interested in Chinese philosophy, comparative ethics, feminist ethics, and Asian studies should find this book useful and informative as it provides a new perspective on classical Confucianism.