The Tao encounters the West
Subtitle: explorations in comparative philosophy
By: Chenyang Li.
Series: SUNY series in Chinese philosophy and culture
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: 1999
Place of publication: Albany
Language: eng
Number of pages: 234
Subjects: Philosophy, Confucian.; Philosophy.; Philosophy, Comparative.; East and West.; Democracy -- China.
Description: The relation between liberal democracy and Confucianism is explored by author Chenyang Li as he argues for a Chinese future where both coexist as independent value systems. This relationship is shown through a comparative study of Chinese and Western ideas and philosophies of being, truth, language, ethics, religion, and values. The book covers a wide range of philosophers and philosophies, including Aristotle, Zhuang Zi, Heidegger, Confucius, Kripke, and feminist care ethics.

Li shows how a comparative approach to different patterns of thinking in Chinese and Western traditions sheds light on the intelligibility of Chinese multiple ethico-religious practice, which in turn supports the claim that democracy and Confucianism can coexist as independent value systems.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 217-228) and index.